


To Choose

by TrueLoveBeliever



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, BAMF Rey, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, By Genderswap I mean Some will be perceived as opposite sex by mortals, Fluff, Genderswap, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Kylo Ren Has Issues, Multi, Other, Pain Train, Playing Around with Greek Mythology, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Rey Needs A Hug, Smut, mentions of bondage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:00:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 60,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrueLoveBeliever/pseuds/TrueLoveBeliever
Summary: "Let. Me. Go." She choked. His fingers extended and caressed her hair, both watching it flow through his fingers."I can't." He sounded almost regretful..."Why?""Because...I need you." And with that, a wave of dark power flowed through her, and a dark murmur of "Sleep, goddess" reached her ears before Rey felt herself go limp and she slipped into darkness.Plagued daily by rage and bitterness over being chosen to rule the Underworld, Kylo Ren believes he has very little to live for. That is, until the day he travels to Olympus and meets....her.This fic is a Hades/Persephone AU where I play around slightly with genders and relationships between gods/goddesses. I am not into incest, so I have tried to make it so that none of the characters who have relationships are related too closely.*Formerly titled "To Be Chosen"
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Phasma & Kylo Ren, Chewbacca/Maz Kanata, Kylo Ren/Rey, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Original Female Character(s), Poe Dameron & Finn, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 132
Kudos: 132





	1. Who's Who

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PunkForTheMoment](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunkForTheMoment/gifts).



Zeus- Han Solo  
Hera- Leia Organa  
Poseidon- Luke Skywalker  
Hades- Kylo Ren/Ben Solo  
Apollo-Poe Dameron  
Artemis-Kaydel Connix  
Demeter-Maz Kanata  
Kore/Persephone-Rey  
Dionysus-Lando Calrissian  
Hermes-BB8 or BeeBee  
Hecate-Phasma  
Ares-Finn  
Aphrodite -Paige Tico/Pae Pae  
Hestia-C3PO/Threepio  
Pan-R2D2/Artoo  
Athena-Amilyn Holdo  
Kronos-Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader  
Rhea-Padme Amidala  
Uranus- Sheev Palpatine/Darth Sidious  
Gaea-The Force  
Thanatos-Armitage Hux  
Cerberus-Chewbacca or Chewie  
Judges of Death-Knights of Ren  
Servants of Underworld Castle-Stormtroopers  
Hephaestus-Rose Tico  
Tantalus-Unkar Plutt  
Charon-Snoke  
Han's Horses- Millie and Falcon

The Fates- Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Mace Windu  
The Furies (Only 2, not the normal 3)-Darth Maul and Original Character (Female Darth Maul cause I COULD NOT DECIDE on gender so I made them Twins)  
Prometheus- Obi-Wan Kenobi  
Atlas-Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus  
Pallas-General Grievous

Disclaimer: I feel like it should be put here so that there is no confusion...in this fic there will be genderbending! I have a female Hephaestus, Hermes, and Pan. I also made the Fates male (they are normally women). Humans have taken the stories and twisted them, so that is why mythological stories are the way they are-cause humans screwed them up. I think I explain it at several points throughout the story, but I have had a person or two tell me that it was a bit of a shock for them to find out about the genderbending of gods/goddesses. 

Also, some of these characters may not appear in this particular story (I have sequels planned) but I went ahead and put all of the ones here so that you can decide whether or not you wish to read further into the world I am creating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will update this chapter as I go in case I decide to add more characters. I would like to thank Facebook for helping me solve my Darth Maul problem, as I could not decide whether I wanted a male Maul with Obi-Won or a female Maul with Obi-Won. I liked either/or, and the person this fic is dedicated to, gave me the idea for twins! I would like to thank her for that, cause....yowza. So both shall shamelessly flirt and we will see where the relationships go!


	2. These Iron Bars Can't Hold My Soul In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little intro into Kylo Ren's headspace. He has a meeting with Phasma (Hecate), and ends up having an....interesting dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the beginning. Apologies if it seems like it goes a little too quickly. I wrote this late at night as a way to try and fall asleep and...things happen in this chapter. IDEK. Fair Warning, the dream does involve some kink and mentions bondage and alludes to a certain sexual toy. If that freaks you out, I do apologize. Just um....skip it? Oh crap, I should probably fix the tags to include that, huh? Anyway, enjoy!
> 
> Edit: I had the chapter originally as "Kylo Ren", since I wanted to name each chapter for the person whose POV I was writing from, but then I wrote the next chapter and that sort of backfired. 
> 
> So, I chose song lyrics! The above chapter is a line from the song "Savin' Me" by Nickelback.

No matter how much time passes, he never truly gets used to the cold. How can he? It is a hateful creature-clawing at his breast, devouring whatever heat and life and warmth he can conjure. He used to be afraid of the cold and the dark. Especially here, in this place….a place where if the sun ever shone, if there was ever any light, the darkness had long since devoured and claimed it….leaving nothing behind but the echo of a memory of what once was and never could be again.

When he first arrived, he was nothing but a boy who was battle-scarred and slightly broken by all of the horrors that had to be endured to ensure safety and tranquility for life itself. A boy who ached for the light, even as he learned to embrace the darkness. A boy who yearned for warmth as he was forced to harden his heart into ice. For how else would one survive in such a cold and desolate place but to become a creature unparalleled to those that were to dwell with him in what would be a hell of his own making?

For surely that was the cruelest joke of all! How could it not be, that he was tasked with moulding this bleak tundra into a kingdom and then rule over it? When all he had wanted to do was return to the land above and rejoice with the others over their victory against their enemies and give thanks for their hard won freedom?

Ages had passed since his consignment to what he privately deemed as "Underworld". A place where no living being traversed unless in the most dire of needs and where the spectres of the dead began their eternity. He was even the keeper of the monsters he had helped vanquish! A king of death, he aided in judging souls of humanity and determined their everlasting reward...or punishment. 

When a truly rotten soul came before him, he was more than eager to take on the task of jailor and imprison them in the depths of torment for pain everlasting. In those moments-when the soul has received his judgment and has heard their fate, he relishes in their cries of agony and the salty bitterness of their tears.

Their pain….their fear….it may draw more darkness to him, more cold...but in a part of himself he does not wish to examine, he is almost grateful. Some days he believes that he no longer feels and is numb to everything and everyone. That the man has completely eradicated that boy who still clung to a feeling of hope that this surely could not be all to his existence. That there must be more to his life now then the bleak humdrum of the everyday. But as centuries pass, that hope...and that boy….grow smaller and weaker behind the wall he had erected around his heart.

Sometimes he supposed he was...not grateful...but something or some kind of emotion...that he was not completely alone. He is surrounded by other gods and goddesses who had been forced to carve out homes here.  
When he tires of the monotony of his palace servants (for what other kind of home would he make for himself but a place as vast and empty as his own being…), he sees fit to call on those that occupy the darkness along with him.

One such being he had summoned to his palace, although he had long since learned that she operated at her own leisure. Phasma, or the being who was known by the moniker of "Hecate" (a title more than a name), was meant to be his liaison to his estranged family. A family, he was enraged to once learn, that had not only sought the world above as their playground, but the sky was where their opulent homes had long since been placed.

Not only was he forced to call "home" to the dirt beneath their feet; but he was also expected to venture among them in their heavenly abode that he would NEVER be able to claim for any manner of comfort...all while enduring the snide whispers and glances of fear as he made his way to the throne room of his brethren. 

No. He is able to stomach such a draining experience once a century perhaps. Every other time he receives summons from on high, he is more than willing to bestow the honor of answering to his subordinates. Phasma just happened to be one that was amenable to the task; although there were one or two others that would salivate at the idea of rubbing elbows of such high caliber beings, he knew how to handle the power structure of his kingdom and was assured of Phasma's loyalty. 

He had long since banished the rabble from his main throne room to another chamber he had set aside for a smaller court to preside over the souls of the dead. He did not worry about their acts of judgment, for his Knights were knowledgeable of his policies and had long since earned his trust over the governing of duties he saw fit to bestow upon them.

He currently sat sprawled on his throne, gazing unseeing at the vast hall before him. A true vision of dark beauty, if he thought so himself-the walls and floor of deep black marble, polished daily by servants. Torches lined the walls of the hall, casting feeble light out into the inky dark of the room. Shadows danced among the light, filling him with bitterness that even when there was light in his kingdom...darkness sought to overcome it. 

High above his head, if he could be bothered to raise it high enough to look, were ebony chandeliers, that when lit, were truly breathtaking to behold. He lights them on rare occasions, when he had cause to celebrate and enjoy the tranquility the dazzling light provided. But, he mused, it had been a very long time since he had had such a desire to light them. In fact, it must have been a few centuries ago that he could last be bothered to do so…

As he was contemplating over when it was he had last called for the chandeliers to be lit, he became aware of a figure a few steps away from the bottom stair leading up to the dias of his throne. He tilted his head slowly in acknowledgement and raised a hand to beckon the being closer. A cloak obscured any discernible features, yet marked the identity of the creature better than if she had come without. Made of thread woven of pure silver,he had gifted it to her long ago as thanks for being his liaison and, while neither may ever admit it, because he knew she preferred the color and both knew she looked damn good in it.

"Good evening, Phasma."

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Good evening, Phasma."

At his words, she pushed back the hood and bowed her head towards him. He was slightly surprised to see she had cut her hair. Where once it had flowed gracefully down to her waist, she had shorn it to where it was close to her head. What had been thought of akin to a golden waterfall, now it didn't even reach her ears. He raised an eyebrow at her and she scoffed.

"It kept getting in my way." She offered by way of explanation. He wondered to what she was referring-if it got in the way of her magic, of which she was the greatest practitioner of; or by way of swordplay...second only to him, for he had trained her himself and was intimately aware of her skill with a blade.

"I like it." He offered after a moment. She rolled her eyes.

"So glad you approve, my liege. " She smirked as she gave a mocking bow. He huffed and held out a hand pleadingly for her to stop. She straightened up with a sharp laugh and drew closer to him.

"Olympus sends their regards." She said mildly after a moment. He regarded her and noticed the slight tenseness of her shoulders, and the weariness she couldn't quite hide from his gaze. He rose from the throne, ignoring the slight ache in his back-just how long had he been sitting there-and came closer to her.

"You look exhausted." He murmured as his hand, gloved in black leather, reached for her cheek. She allowed him to rest it upon her and she closed her eyes as she leaned slightly into it. His thumb stroked under her eye gently as he waited for her response.

"Dameron." Was all she replied but really it was all she needed to have said. He had heard plenty of stories about the idiotic god that wasted every moment off duty pursuing any goddess that so much as glanced his way. He had even on occasion watched the fool do it, on the rare times he had deigned to travel to Olympus. He huffed slightly, only to have her open her eyes and glare at him.

"It's. Not. Funny." She scowled, drawing away from him.

"Did I laugh?"

"For you, that was tantamount to you rolling on the floor giggling like a child."

"Phas…"

"No. No, I know. The great King Kylo Ren does not laugh. I imagine Tarturus would freeze over if such a thing were to happen." 

He felt a slight sting at her words. He did not have many friends, really only one or two. He thought that he had given more of himself, whatever that self may be, to her. Her companionship meant much to him as he knew that she chose to remain in the Underworld for his sake when Olympus would have probably welcomed her with open arms. She, out of everyone, knew why he never laughed. Why he never felt like he could.

She seemed to realize that she had struck a nerve and extended her hand to clasp his arm. 

"You know what I meant."

"It matters not." He withdrew from her and returned to his throne. Perching on the edge, he leaned and rested his elbows on his legs as he studied her. "Report, Phas."

"Nothing much to tell, really. The only thing of true import I heard was that Kanata wishes to present her daughter to the court." 

"Daughter? Maz? From what I remember of her, she was more concerned over tending to...other harvests and not her own. When did she have a child?" Phasma sighed at his innuendo but otherwise ignored it.

"Well truthfully," she frowned, "Maz didn't actually give birth to the girl. But she has claimed her and raised her as the child displays similar abilities to her own."

"Similar abilities?"

"The humans have taken to calling her Kore, as she is practically a daughter of Gaia herself with how talented she is with making things grow."

"Very powerful then." 

"So they say."

"You don't agree?" At this she hesitated. "Phas?"

"I haven't actually SEEN the girl." She admitted as she gripped the hilt of the sword he noticed was protruding from her cloak.

"Mmm." Mmm indeed. Maz Kanata must be very protective of this...Kore...if even Phasma was unable to get even a glimpse of the girl. Most Olympians knew Phasma and respected her. Even Kanata. Which begs the question as to why Kanata would not allow Phasma to meet her. For the first time in what felt like...eons...he...he wondered.

What is so special about this girl that Maz Kanata would go to such lengths to protect her, and why throw that all away on an event that would put this girl in view of every Olympian that would attend?

While it had been ages since he personally spoke to Maz Kanata, he was certain that she had not undergone a change as drastic as that. The Kanata he remembered, when he bothered with such things, had always been kind and caring. She was a motherly goddess who cared for others and was set in her ways. 

She would not keep a child isolated only to thrust her in the middle of Olympus. It spoke to a level of political intrigue that Kanata would not have had time nor patience for. From past reports from Phasma, she took her duties as Demeter seriously. When not aiding the humans in their harvest, Kanata spent her time drinking with the likes of Calrissian, or acting as a mother hen towards the younger gods, like Dameron.

No matter what her reasons, Kanata had managed to do something that would prove either good or ill-she managed to cause him to take an interest. He now burned with curiosity over this daughter, this...Kore.

"When is she to be presented?" He inquired casually, leaning back in his seat while he crossed his arms and legs.

"Tomorrow, around noon. I have heard rumors that they plan to party until dawn." He smirked at that as he knew Phasma considered such frivolities a waste of time. She enjoyed a party as well as anyone else, but such an event as this promised to be would distract from one's duties, and the goddess of magic took her duties very seriously.

"I assume they wish for me to attend." Phasma did not ask which they he was referring to-they both were well aware of the ones he spoke of.

"They both mentioned to me that it would be nice to see you. The queen especially made sure to mention how long it has been since you last set foot in the palace."

"I will go." He felt a sort of grim satisfaction at seeing Phasma so rattled. 

"You….you will?" She asked incredulously. "But you HATE these sort of gatherings. I was prepared on having to either bribe or strong-arm you into going!"

He stood and began walking towards the exit, suddenly wanting to retire for the evening so he could prepare for the journey tomorrow.

"Where are you going?" He wanted to sigh. If it had been any other subordinate, they would take him leaving as a sign the conversation was over, and allow him to continue on his way. He spun around and gripped her by the shoulders. 

"Phas," he said, "it is late, and we are both exhausted. I am going to bed so I may sleep long enough that I can deal with what will surely be a very stressful day. I suggest you do the same." With that he released her and continued to his chambers, although he knew it would be unlikely that he would get much rest. Too many questions about Kanata and Kore were floating through his mind. 

He passed by countless spectres clothed in strict white uniforms who stilled and bowed as he passed by. For the most part he ignored them, although he was not blind to how they trembled in his wake and avoided his gaze. But still, that small part of him buried behind the walls he erected around his heart hurt at how his people behaved around him. 

At times like this he wondered what it would be like to change his ways, to try and be better for his subjects. He was aware enough to admit that he did not need to be as much of a bastard to his kingdom as he was when he first came to this place. Things were different then-his hold over his realm tenuous at best and he needed to adapt to survive and carve out his place here.

Yet now that he has long established his rule, he supposed that he could change. Show his people a softer side, attempt to relax his hold on his controlling tendencies. But then he thought about the last time he had made that mistake, and he felt sick at how he could have forgotten so easily. Yes, there was a reason he kept others at arm's length. It was foolish of him to have forgotten-he blamed it on the lateness of the hour and his exhaustion.

Without realizing, as he was too deep in thought, he had arrived at the door to his chambers. He pushed them open, and made his way inside. A cursory glance told him that servants had long since come and gone to clean, and he was grateful he did not have to deal with speaking with anyone else that night.

He left his boots by the door and made his way closer to the canopy bed that dwarfed a good portion of the wall. He took off his gloves and tossed them towards a chair behind him, as well as the outer shirt he wore. He tugged his pants off impatiently and left them in a pile on the floor, and after a moment's hesitation, he also divested himself of his undershirt and tossed it on top of the pants. Ordinarily, such slovenly behavior disgusted him, but he was more than ready for sleep.

Finally, clad in nothing but his moles, he settled into bed and closed his eyes. Within moments, he felt himself drift into sleep. His last coherent thoughts were of the morning and how he would need to alert his Knights to his absence, until he knew nothing at all and slept.

***************************************************************************************************************************************  
Pressure…..pressure...at….at his neck. Lips, plush, kissing and caressing his body. Slight moans and hums as the figure traced one side of his neck with their kisses, then equally lavished the other. It felt...really good...and he was more than happy to continue drifting in this state of being if it meant that those lips would continue.

A weight settled on him from above and he felt the figure grind their body against his own. His eyes flew open and he strained to see who his assailant was in the dark. All he could make out was shadows and the outline of a slight body. Feminine, if he had to guess by the feel of the lips and what little of the body shape he could see in the dark. It registered to him that she was completely naked and that nothing separated their bodies. Skin touched skin and at each caress, it sent tiny sparks rushing throughout his body. 

"Please." So breathy, it fluttered from her mouth to his ears. She, for he thought of her as such, clasped his hands in hers and gripped them tight. She rocked gently against him and he felt himself grow hard against her. Even without seeing her, he could tell she was pleased she had managed to gain such a response.

"Please." She purred in his ear as she leaned down and resumed nipping and kissing his neck, steadily making her way down until she flicked his nipple with her tongue. At that, he startled and rolled them until she was under him and he had her pinned down.

"Wha-"

"Please." Good gods, she sounded as if she was pleading for her life. She sounded so desperate, and he marveled at how much she seemed to despair about being stopped. She struggled against him and he let go of her hands, curious to see what she would do. She immediately reached up and tangled her fists in his hair and brought him down against her, hard.

Her mouth attacked his, plunging her tongue and entangling with his own in a fierce dance as she frantically caressed him. As if she could not get enough, as if she was afraid if she let up...that he would leave. Unsure what was happening but deciding to continue, he brought his own hand up and caressed where he believed her breast to be.

Judging by the gasp and needy moan, he was sure he had found it. Touching her in such a way felt...right. He kneaded the flesh gently and plucked at the nipples he discovered, which were perked and felt so dainty in his hands.

Abandoning all sense, he moaned slightly into her mouth, and felt her smile against him. She turned her head to the side and kissed her way up to his ear and took the lobe gently within her teeth and nipped at his skin.

"All for you. Only ever you." She whispered as she brought her head back down to meet his mouth again. He felt unbalanced by this creature. How did she know that he was sitting there wondering how she was so passionate and talented and...what was she? A concubine that someone had sent to him? Who WAS she?

"What are you?" He whispered when they both came up for air after several minutes of impassioned kissing. She giggled slightly and he felt as if someone had whacked him over the head with a boulder or skewered him with a sword or pierced him with an arrow. What a laugh...it was so...so beautiful.

"Well dear husband, it really depends on who you ask." She murmured distractedly, as she was going back in to kiss and lick towards his nipples again. It took him a moment to realize what she had said.

Husband. Husband. In that moment he wanted more than anything for it to be so, if it meant he got to keep this sensual being in his arms whose laughter filled him with such warmth. He felt...dirty...that he wanted to keep up the fantasy for a little while longer, but he couldn't help himself. He rolled them over again and gently braced her above him. She gasped slightly and cooed in his ear.

"Tired, my lord?" She teased cheekily. He shook his head slightly and moved his hands up and down her sides, just feeling her. She braced her arms on him and raised her lower half slightly before lowering herself on his length in a move that made him believe she had done this before. 

They both gasped out as a feeling of rightness enveloped them. To him, it felt like he was engulfed in the warmth of the sun itself yet he was unafraid to burn. She felt like everything he had ever wanted, everything he had ever desired when he was alone and bitter against the world. If he was totally honest with himself, this person in his arms felt like what he imagined home to be. And such a feeling filled him with unbridled lust that he could barely contain it.

She began rocking slightly and he sat up and hauled her to him as he attacked her mouth furiously. He grabbed her arms and tugged them behind her back where he kept them pinned with one arm while his other hand groped her breasts. She was gasping and mewling in pleasure and begging and cursing every time their lips weren't joined. 

He felt his pleasure growing to a crescendo and knew that he was reaching a precipice that, once he tipped over, would be the epitome of ecstasy. He wanted desperately for that to be, but he did not wish to leave her unsatisfied with their lovemaking. He withdrew his hand from her breasts, to which she practically snarled at him for. 

Lust burned through him at how violent she became when he denied her. She knew what she wanted from him and was adamant about obtaining it and told him in no uncertain terms what she longed for. How glorious it felt to have such a woman in his arms. One who was unafraid to fuss at him for attempting not to please her fully.

"Husband." She growled, bucking slightly in his arms, her own fighting for release. He was almost tempted to grant it to her and see what she would do. Would she grip her own breasts and stroke them and tease them further? Would she grab for him and grip and claw and scratch and please and yes and more….

He wondered at how it would feel to tie her down, this little passionate hellion in his arms. Tie her down and pleasure her at his desire and give and give until her cries for more were lost in the throes of her climax. Tease her lithe little body for hours on end until she knew nothing but him and how he made her feel…

He could almost picture it, the two of them in the bed that way. He would go to Phasma discreetly and have her create items for which to give this beauty in his arms pleasure. Ropes, black as night and silky as satin, binding and stretching her arms high above her head. Maybe he would have her make enough so that he could bind her legs as well. Keep her spread completely so that she was unable to move. Unable to do anything but feel what he would do to her.

But why stop there? He could have more made do that he could bind her pretty breasts too. And maybe something to ensnare those delectable nipples...maybe something that may start as a prick of pain but undulate as pleasure. He wondered if she would like it. Would she accept a little bit of pain on such a delicate part of her body if it meant it brought her to new heights of glory? 

And if, oh...if...if she were to accept that, what more could he ask of this glorious goddess in his arms. For what more could she be but a goddess, as heavenly as she felt and as much as she was able to give and receive with their bodies?

He thought of how hot their bodies had become and pondered what it would be like to slide ice across her burning skin. Would she relish and claim it was relief or would she be sensitive to the change in temperature and cry out? If he hurt her...if he truly hurt her...oh how the thought of something like that was abhorrent to him. He knew at that moment that he could never do lasting damage to her, never hurt her, never cause her unnecessary pain.

A small quiet part of him knew that whatever was happening wasn't...it wasn't...it couldn't be real. There was no way that an intruder could have made their way to his private chambers and he had never been married. Whatever was currently happening wasn't completely real but gods he found he didn't care.

Could it be that he had found Elysium? Maybe in his misery and despair he had slipped from the drudgery of his life and died and this was his reward. If that was the case, he didn't understand why humanity feared death so. He practically rejoiced in this moment, with her writhing in his arms.

His little goddess was still railing at him for taking his hand away from her breasts. He realized it had only been a few moments since he had done so, and that all of those thoughts had flashed in his mind in a blur. He could scarcely believe that it had not been hours, especially given how in-depth the fantasies his mind had chosen to grant to him were.

Not completely sure how he knew, but confident in what he was doing, he took his hand and reached down her body. All the while he was stroking his length in and out of her center purposely trying to stall their climax for a little bit longer. She was too busy kissing him to see what he was doing, but he knew she could tell where his hand was going.

Once he felt between her legs, she began encouraging him breathlessly. His hand touched her clit firmly and began rubbing it while they continued thrusting against one another. He knew he had never taken a woman to bed before this, as he had never taken any woman to his bed ever, but he stroked her pleasure button as if he had done it a thousand times before. He heard no complaints from her, and instead she began to moan and warn him that she was close...so close...please please please husband SO CLOSE….

She suddenly began shaking and a new cry broke from her lips as she reached climax. He continued rubbing and thrusting, guiding her and continuing her orgasm until she was practically boneless in his arms. He was so enraptured with her response he had not realized he still had yet to come himself and he pulled himself out of her body.

She reached for him and began stroking his length in her hands. Fast and hard and rough and she leaned up to kiss him. He was so close. So close. Oh Gods he was about to come all over her…he would paint her body in his seed and she would be covered in it. A desire...no, a NEED to see her breasts coated in his essence overwhelmed him and he felt himself tighten and then….

BANG. BANG. BANG.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahaha yeah. Yeah...I know. Poor Kylo. 
> 
> So I am thinking that I will do different chapters with different character perspectives. Next up will probably be an intro to Rey but not 100% sure as I haven't written it yet and I am just writing as it suits me. Hope you enjoyed it!


	3. All of Our Dirt is Washed in The Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lando finds a child in his vineyard. He takes her to Maz, and they make a decision regarding the child's future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was SO LONG. I didn't mean for it to be, but it got away from me....and here we are. The song title is from "Sanctuary" by Welshly Arms. 
> 
> I would like to say that slight trigger warning for hints of child abuse mentioned. Rey didn't have the happiest of beginnings, but it gets better for her. I plan on expounding later on about her childhood, but probably in flashbacks or something since I am impatient and want to have her and Kylo Ren freaking meet already. Cause...sexual tension people. <3

_Her earliest memory was of light. This pale, yellow light, that filled her entire body and made her feel so whole. Her second memory, and one she felt was her most important and cherished memory, was of her mother. At least, that is always what she had allowed herself to believe._

_She had always assumed it was her mother because she felt so much love when she allowed herself to look back on the memory. A woman, at least she believed it to be a woman, held Rey so tightly in her arms. Neither spoke, but it was understood that they needed no words to express their connection._

_As time passed and Rey grew, she could no longer recall just what exactly her mother looked like. All she could recall was that feeling, that...sense of belonging and of….home. She had so few memories of her earlier days, a fact that she was frustrated by and her adopted mother grateful for._

_"The mind is a strange thing, my dear." Maz would say. "I have found it is not unlike a tree, or any plant really."_

_"In what way?" Rey asked bitterly once, after a particularly frustrating day of meditating. She had tried to see if she could remember something else about her mother. But she kept coming up with nothing else but the light and the feel of her mother's embrace._

_Maz, who had been coaxing a dying bush back to life, glanced sharply at her with those bold eyes that Rey felt could see to her very soul. (Something that could at times be particularly annoying, especially when she was trying to sneak off to Rose's workshop without alerting Maz. She knew though. Somehow, Maz always seemed to know when she had gone to spend the day with Rose.)_

_"Sickness may take hold of a branch. A branch that may have been there since the beginning of the tree. But it may infect and cause the tree to suffer until an outside force liberates the tree from suffering, or new life tries to form around it. The branch is gone. The tree will never again feel the connection to the branch that it once did. But that doesn't mean that the tree cannot still live, or grow new branches."_

_Rey, who had been tinkering with a piece of metal she had been given by Rose, stilled at Maz's words. She was not so obtuse that she could not understand what Maz was trying to tell her. And it wasn't that Rey was ungrateful to Maz. She really wasn't. Maz was the best mother that Rey could have ever asked for._

_When Rey had to come to live with Maz, she had been so terribly frightened. This diminutive woman, with skin the color of an old carrot and as many wrinkles as she had plants, had taken one look at little Rey and had been moved to tears._

_For poor little Rey had been found near one of the many vineyards Lando had taken a shine to and claimed as sacred. Practically feral, the girl had been covered in cuts and bruises, with hollow cheeks and a shrunken belly. Lando, who had never felt any fatherly inclinations, had felt pity and outrage that any child could be so mistreated._

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He had found her near a vine that had already been harvested for grapes. He watched her as Rey had reached up and raised a grubby hand. He was stunned when she began to grow more grapes with one hand, and pluck and eat them with another. What he had perceived to be a mortal child who had wandered into his vineyard, possessed abilities far greater than any mortal could have.

He looked closer at the child. While covered in grime, he could see that she had brown hair that she had pinned in 3 buns. She was clothed in what once may have been a white dress, but time and circumstance had stained until it was brown and grey and as dirty looking as the girl herself.

When he approached the girl she had swung around and looked as if she was prepared to maul him. He stopped and cocked his head at her. The two gazed at one another; one wary with mistrust, the other debating on how to calm the child and ease her mind. He shifted his stare towards her hand, which still clung to the grapes she had made.

Suddenly he smiled and moved towards another vine that had been harvested. He stroked it and the girl watched with wide eyes as grapes a rich deep purple appeared beneath his fingertips.

"While those look delicious," he smiled, gesturing towards the light green ones she had managed to grow, "you should try these. Sweeter grapes I have yet to taste...but don't tell Maz. We have a little bet to see who could yield a better crop and I am planning on using these grapes as my secret weapon. So...shhh."

He had crouched and held them out to her in offering while he spoke, and delighted in the little grin she gave at his conspiratorial tone. As soon as she noticed he was watching her, she scowled and crossed her arms.

"I don't want any." She lied fiercely, trying to avoid staring at just how plump and juicy the grapes he held were. In truth, she had no idea how she had managed to get the vine to grow more grapes. She had stumbled upon this place while...she was...she was running from something wasn't she? She had...she had been….she had been so _afraid_ …

Lando grew concerned at the far away look that began to overcome rational thought in the child's eyes and he nearly swore when he saw terror grow within them. The fruit she clung to was crushed in her hands as she began shaking like a leaf and tears began streaming from her eyes, cutting rows through the patches of dirt and staining her cheeks.

He sprang up and rushed to the girl, dropping the grapes on the ground in his hurry. He picked her up and embraced her as she began to sob and shake in his arms. Lando had no idea what had caused this little thing to be so afraid, but he knew that he had to help her if he could.

He closed his eyes and thought of a meadow. Deep within a forest not too far from the vineyard they were standing in, there was a cabin. Protected by the owner, her dwelling was unable to be reached except through the meadow.

When he opened his eyes, he and the child had been transported to wide open land with wildflowers blooming all around. He glanced down at the bundle in his arms; and saw that while she was still upset, she had regained a little sense and was straining against him to get down. He lowered her to the ground and she rushed away from him.

"Where are we?" She asked him, glancing around wildly. Ignoring her for the moment, he plopped on the ground and whistled loudly. The girl tensed and looked as if she were about to bolt until they both heard distant shouting that was growing steadily closer.

"Lando Calrissian!" Even from far away the woman had a set of lungs on her. He only hoped he would be spared a tongue-lashing when she saw why he had disturbed her and come to her dwelling.

The child was frozen as she honed in on the sound coming towards them.

"When she gets here, don't be nervous." He told her as he began fiddling with the stem of a flower he plucked. It was a rich orange color and he began daydreaming about what it would be like to have orange grapes and how their wine would taste.

"What's coming? What does she want? Will she eat me?" The words seemed to flood out of the girl in a gasp as she hurried around behind him so that he was between her and the still approaching shouting.

He tilted his head back and looked up at her, his eyes squinting slightly in the sunlight. Their eyes connected. Chocolate met hazel, warmth met fear. He screwed his face up and brought a hand up to his chin. Rubbing it and giving her a straight face (but for the twinkle she caught in his eye), he began to explain.

"Of the two of us, we should be more worried about me. Maz doesn't like me too much at the moment...the last time I dropped by unannounced, I ate a poisonous berry she had growing and then got sick all over her favorite herb garden." He shuddered, remembering the look of rage in her eyes as she came barreling towards him with a rake raised high and a battle cry on her lips.

"And I STILL haven't forgiven you, Lord Dionysus." Her cold voice jolted the two, as they had not realized they had company. Lando was practically shaking in his black leather boots. Maz must be still really angry if she was addressing him by his title and not his name. While the weather was warm and not a cloud was in sight, he felt sweat of another kind drip down the back of his neck.

"Lord Dionysus?" The girl asked in a small voice. Lando watched as Maz noticed the child behind him and saw her take in the girl's appearance. Maz's entire demeanor softened and she blinked rapidly to dispense the tears that threatened to fall.

"Yes, yes, dear. Of all the titles this buffoon could have chosen, it seems apt that he is the god of wine and tom foolery isn't it?" She made her way around him and beheld the girl. With Lando on the ground, they were all at a height where they didn't have to strain their heads looking at one another.

"Well, there's nothing else for it. Come on dear, let's get you cleaned up then, shall we?" Maz held out a hand towards the child, who took it after a moment's hesitation. "Oi. You too." Maz nudged Lando with her foot disdainfully.

"Excellent!" He exclaimed, jumping up and rubbing his hands together with a smile on his face. Perhaps with the child here, Maz was willing to let bygones be bygones. He would never tell her, but he missed the old girl. Especially since she grew some of the best blackberries he had ever tasted. He flavored some of his best wine with those berries and he had been unable to procure any since the whole unpleasant vomit business in her garden.

Han had been rather put out about it, as he and Lando had drunk the entirety of the wine he had made from those berries and Han had told him it was his best so far! Really, if the King of the gods thought that was his best, he sure wasn't planning on telling him about the ambrosia-tinted white wine he had created as a gift for Leia. If they were lesser gods, or unable to hold their liquor, Lando was sure he could have made a proper overture to Leia after they had tested that first bottle. (But alas-for such a petite woman, she sure could hold her drink.)

"I suppose it is, isn't it? After all, someone needs to weed the garden while we get cleaned up. I thank you for kindly volunteering." It took him a moment to register what she had said as his mind had wandered so far and on such an interesting topic.

At his groan, she skewered him with a look until he sighed and nodded. He would do what he could to get into her good graces, for he definitely needed to get his hands on Maz's supply of fruits. But while he was willing to sacrifice much for the sake of a good wine, he wasn't looking forward to getting his black pants dirty.

Sitting among flowers was one thing-if anyone (Han) asked, he could boast of some rendezvous with some pretty nymph. But doing the kind of work Maz would demand would mean he would be completely dirty, head to toe, and….waaaaaait a minute. Perhaps that would work to his benefit after all. He could expound on the story about the nymph and maybe say...several? Hahaha wouldn't that put Han in his place if he were to hear a story about Lando and the lovely ladies of the forests?

That isn't to say that Han would really be jealous or that if Leia were to hear the story that she would think Han to be jealous. That woman had her husband wrapped so tightly around her finger they spent half their time making the walls of Olympus shake. He privately felt pity for the poor souls that resided in those halls and had to hear such a ruckus.

Honestly, sometimes he wondered why the two of them didn't have more children running around, given all the time spent...discussing policy? He believed that's what Han attempted to claim the last time he had to track them down during a celebration.

He had to drink himself to sleep that night after seeing the image of Han's bare derriere plowing poor Leia into their bed. He had to drink himself to sleep for a week because of Leia's desperate gargled cries. He had to track down Phasma to get her to magically remove the memory of Leia returning the favor to Han not too long after.

(He had the memory destroyed. He made sure to tell Phasma the bare minimum of what had occurred (without outing names of course), and once Phas had told him what the memory contained, he had her burn it in front of them as they kicked back and toasted over a flagon of ale.)

Regardless of his personal disdain over his best friends' sex lives (and no, he would NOT be considered as jealous of that kind of connection, thank you very much), he knew that they were decent with children. He had very fond memories of a little tyke sitting bright eyed on his father's knee as Han and Lando attempted to teach him all the dirty tricks they knew in cards. It still haunted him of how dark those eyes had become, and how a child that had once filled the room with laughter, now left behind nothing but uneasiness.

Perhaps he could convince Han and Leia to adopt the girl? They would all do well together. Leia would shower her with motherly love and Han could get her to smile. But, there was the matter of her abilities. Lando had seen how the girl had made grapes from that vine. Was it that she had abilities like Lando-oh gods was she one of his children? He frantically thought over every woman he had bedded within….he squinted at the girl's back, ignoring the quiet chattering the two did. How old was she?

"Little One?" He called, causing the two of them to cease their conversation and for the girl to stare at him. "How old are you, little one?" He inquired of her gently.

She paused, as if she had to think about it, and she replied quietly to him, "I've seen seven years." Seven years, seven years…..he thought back to his paramours from around eight years ago. None of them would be the kind to have a child. If they did, they certainly wouldn't have abandoned the poor thing as this girl seemed to be. It felt odd how...disappointed he was at the realization the girl wasn't his.

"Are you sure, child?" Maz asked her, giving her a thorough look. The girl was a little on the smaller size for someone her age, but he was willing to lay blame at what was clearly a lack of proper care for the girl. He tried not to snarl over his rage about that, since he didn't want the child to think it was aimed at her. She nodded at them, and she seemed so sure he didn't deem it fit to argue with her.

They continued on with their journey, drawing deeper into the woods. Lando had made his way around the child so that Maz was walking on her left and he was on her right.

"You know what?" Lando asked, drawing their attention to him.

"What?" The little girl asked.

"We don't know your name, Little One. Can't very well keep calling you Little One and it seems unfair that you know our names. Shall we name you? Maz and I like naming things. She names the plants and I name the wines." He grinned at her.

"Well, actually…." The little girl began.

"Lando! We are not giving the girl a name. She is clearly old enough that she already has one, and she isn't some pet you can just pick up and lay claim to." Maz scolded him.

"I am thinking…..Kore." He felt proud of his naming skills. It sounded pleasant and meant "maiden", which he was sure the Little One would become...and what a pretty one at that if her features now were any indication. True, she was a little tiny ragamuffin right now, but he was willing to bet she would grow into a great beauty. (He wasn't sure how he felt about that.)

"Calrissian!" Maz fussed. He grinned at her.

"I already have a name!" The girl seemed torn between pouting, laughing, or scowling. She eventually just gave up and huffed at him.

"Alright then, dear little Kore." He teased, liking the frustrated growl the girl gave as he smirked at her. "What do we call you?"

"Rey. My name...is Rey." With that, the girl...Rey...pushed ahead until she realized that she didn't know where she was going and fell back to walk beside Maz again.

"Rey. It's pretty, child. It suits you." Maz said, complimenting her. Rey beamed, and Lando could see how accurately she had been named. It was like Dameron had touched the girl's forehead…..she was lit from within…..practically radiant herself. _Rey_ , indeed.

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The place where the goddess of the harvest called home was a secret little nook she had discovered not too long after she had begun traversing the world.

A gargantuan tree, grown by Maz herself, dominated the area they found themselves in. The tree stood alone, the roots so deeply embedded within the Earth that no other tree could grow near it. A little ways behind the tree was a stream that bubbled and splashed through the forest playfully.

Behind the tree, if one made their way around it far enough to look, was a conglomeration of rocks that had water flowing down them to feed to the stream. The rocks were covered in thick vines and moss that hid a cave that had been carved into the rock and the dirt. The cavernous area was used as a place for Maz to bathe in, when she remembered to do such things.

She had discovered that the area within the cavern behind the waterfall had a body of water that was fed by a different source than that of the stream. The water within was heated, and provided much comfort on cold nights or after a hard day's work.

Out by the tree itself, goats wandered around in a sectioned off paddock towards the trio's left, and a massive garden dominated the remaining ground before them. As soon as they had stepped past the last tree, Maz had had to hold Rey back gently in order to keep her from stepping on anything. The trio made their way around the right of the garden, where handmade chairs were placed in a circle with a fire pit carefully set up in the middle.

Maz and Lando chuckled at how starry eyed Rey was over everything. She kept moving her head all over, determined not to miss anything about their surroundings.

Maz directed them to chairs and made her way to the tree. Maz glanced at them over her shoulder, winked, then put her hand to the trunk in front of her. Pushing gently on a certain spot, a portion of the trunk sunk inwards and Maz disappeared from their eyes.  
Rey's mouth nearly fell, and she swung her gaze toward Lando. At her gobsmacked expression, Lando burst into laughter and called out for Maz to return.

"Little Kore here is about to have a fly land in her mouth if she doesn't shut it soon!" Rey instantly began to scowl at him. However, his laughter proved to be too contagious, and her expression gradually lightened.

Maz came trotting back out of the tree, a woven brown basket clutched in her hands. When she got closer to them, they saw she had bread, cheese (likely made from goat's milk), and several glass bottles of water. She set the basket down on the stacks of stone surrounding the fire pit, and began handing some of her bounty to Rey.

The girl began shoveling food into her mouth as soon as she received it. Lando and Maz both watched as she ate until it was consumed, then licked her fingers clean while trying not to stare longingly at the basket.

"Maz, I must confess to feeling a tad awkward." Lando said, trying not to make it obvious what he was about to do. Rey seemed oblivious, but Maz had a strange glint in her eye.

"I imagine that must not be something you admit to very often." She replied, handing him one of the bottles of water. He took it and shrugged his shoulders.

"I already ate." He hadn't, but the water could tide him over until he was able to sneak something later. "It would be such a shame for it to go to waste like this…hey, Rey." He exclaimed, snapping his fingers.

"Yessir?" She seemed a little more docile now that she had some food in her. That was good….it was a far cry from the distrustful creature he had met in his vineyard.

"Would you be willing to help me and eat some of this food so it doesn't go to waste? Maz doesn't like me to waste her food...remember?" Rey gave a little giggle as she darted a glance over at Maz. Maz folded her arms and glared at him.

"I can eat it so that it won't go to waste." Rey told her quickly. Maz smiled at Rey and turned around to grab Lando's portion. He clasped his hands together in front of his breast and mouthed "Thank You" in an exaggerated way to get the child to smile some more.

He found he quite liked it when this little child was smiling. He was beginning to understand why the humans were so fond of procreation. In a life so full of fighting to survive, a child must bring such joy to a parent's life.

Once Rey had polished off the food, she sunk back into her seat with a happy sigh. Maz finished her own meal not too long after and got up off the stone she had been leaning against.

"Alrighty then!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I think it is time for a bath and some clean clothes, don't you?" At the look of horror that came over Rey's face, Lando was willing to bet that they were going to have quite the time in conning….errr….convincing the girl. He sighed and wished the clear liquid he held was a...darker variety. If he weren't so sure that Maz would smack him for drinking in front of a child, he would transform it himself. Ah, well.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Maz Kanata had seen many things in her long, long years walking the Earth. But she could admit that she had never seen a child quite so stubborn as the girl Lando had brought her.

"I'm not bathing!" Rey was currently arguing. Lando was staring almost mournfully at his water, as if he blamed it for all his current problems.

"Listen. I'm not saying you're filthy, per say, but...Rey. You look like Maz after one of her rougher days in the garden."

".....So not too bad then?" Maz cackled at that. She was a little spitfire, and Maz felt a kinship to the girl she rarely felt towards other beings. She was close to Lando, as he understood what it took to grow things and tend to the Earth. Most other beings, even the immortal ones, did not understand how deeply connected they were to the Earth-Mother.

She sensed that the child had a troubled past, although one only had to look at the girl to tell that. But there was this...purity to her. An inner light that shone from within. Maz had not felt such power in….in…. _oh_.

Maz took in the child with new eyes. If it was as she was beginning to suspect, the girl was very important and needed to be protected. She felt the rightness of this conviction and knew that whatever happened, that she needed to keep a careful watch over the girl.

"Why don't you wish to bathe, dear?" Maz asked, interrupting Lando and Rey's back and forth. Rey flushed and looked down at her hands, twisting them in her lap.

"'S cold." She mumbled.

"Ah. You don't like the cold?" Maz inquired gently. Mutely, Rey shook her head.

"Well. Neither do I. 'Tis a good thing I don't bathe in the cold." Maz said cheerfully. Rey glanced up and eyes her doubtfully.

"You don't?"

"Nope. Come with me. I will show you." Maz held out her hand, and Rey slid down off her chair towards her to take it. Lando smiled at the two of them, and leaned back in his chair to settle in for a bit.

"It won't be cold?" She checked again. Maz shook her head and led her to the tree. Ducking inside, Maz wandered over to where she had a loom propped in the corner with fabrics piled around. She began rummaging in the pile, muttering to herself. When Rey poked her head in to see what was keeping Maz, she gaped at what she saw.

The tree was so large and hollow inside that the area they were standing in was the size of a small hut. To the left of the door was a staircase, winding up and around the trunk. When Rey leaned closer, she saw that the stairs were a part of the trunk. They appeared as if they had always been there, as if the tree itself had conjured them.

"I grew them with the tree." Maz told her, as she came over with a dainty yellow dress in her arms. She draped it over a tiny stool that was beside the stairs. She passed Rey and climbed up the steps, eventually disappearing from view as she reached another level. She descended with a bar of soap, a towel, and a hairbrush so fine it seemed out of place in such a comely place.

Maz passed the bathing items to Rey and grabbed the dress off the stool. She led the way out of the tree and together they ventured to the stream. Maz showed Rey an area where the water was not so steep and they passed over it with little difficulty.

They came upon the waterfall and Maz was very meticulous in her instructions to Rey on how to access the bathing cavern, as she did not want for the girl to fall and injure herself while going in or out. Once the two made their way to the water they would have to duck under, Maz grabbed a curious object that was nestled in a space between the rocks.

Pulling it out, she shook it off and showed it to Rey. It was a fabric that shimmered in the late afternoon sun. Maz held it up above their heads and they ducked under the water, with neither one getting wet.

"What is this?" Rey asked her in disbelief.

"Rose Tico helped me make this. We combined a bit of moss with a bit of metal shavings from her forge and a bit of magic from us both and I wove this beauty a while back. Wonderful, isn't it?" Maz had to raise her voice a bit over the sound of the falling water. Rey nodded her head and caressed the fabric in wonder.

"Who's Rose Tico?" She asked suddenly.

"Ah. You wouldn't know us by our names, I suppose. Most don't. They only know us by our titles, or our godly names. Like how I am known by mortals as Demeter, the goddess of the harvest." Maz explained.

"And….Lando is Dionysus." Rey said excitedly.

"Yes, dear. Very good memory!" Rey smiled shyly.

"So….which one is Rose Tico?"

"Ah...her situation is a little...different. Mortals have really done a number on that poor girl. She is known as Hephaestus, and she is the goddess of the forge." At her words, Rey gasped aloud.

"HEPHAESTUS IS A GIRL? THAT'S AMAZING!!!" Rey was vibrating with excitement and Maz felt a touch of relief. She was afraid the world of man had poisoned this sweet girl's mind into believing that women had to fulfill certain roles in society, and that the girl would be prejudiced towards a woman in such a position. She was glad to see the child was not.

"Maybe you can meet her soon." Maz promised, tugging a still excited Rey over to the bathing pool. Hidden pockets under the rock released the water and it bubbled. Maz helped Rey out of her clothes as Rey began chattering about how she couldn't wait to see Rose and how she had so many questions about the fabric they had made.

Maz chuckled at the curiosity the girl displayed and was glad Rey still had such wonder in her eyes. Maz helped the now naked child into the water, making sure that the girl didn't slip and drown. Once she got settled in, Rey sighed in delight.

"So….warm." Maz snorted at how drugged the girl sounded. She worked the ties from the 3 buns the girl had in her hair and set them aside.

"Tilt your head back, dear." Maz instructed her gently. Maz took a cloth and wet it. Being mindful of the cuts she saw, she washed Rey's face as Rey scrubbed her body. Together, the two were able to cleanse Rey of the dirt and grime rather quickly.

When they were finished, Maz showed Rey a foothold that was carved into the rocks that the child could use to step out of the water with. They dried her off and Maz helped tug the dress down over her body.

"Perfect." Maz smiled softly. And she was. Now that Rey had been cleaned, she was a vision of childlike innocence and beauty. The image was slightly marred by her yawning, but it endeared her to Maz all the more.

They exited the way they came, Rey once again delighting in the fabric that kept the water from hitting them. Once Maz had folded it, Rey took it from her and put it back. They returned to Lando not long after that.  
"Why….why, Maz Kanata! You sly old fox, if I didn't think you were a goddess before, look at this vision before me! Practically miraculous what a nice warm soak will do for you, huh little Kore?" He teased with a wide smile.

"Rude." Rey stuck her tongue out at him, and he roared with laughter. Reaching out and tugging her close he produced a handkerchief and presented it to her. She held it and gave him a bemused stare.

"Hold it in your hand, flat out." He said, smiling. She did and he gave her some grapes he had grown while he had been waiting for them to return. She lit up.

"For me?" She asked. He cupped his hands around hers and held her eyes.

"On one condition." He said gravely. "You have to let me call you Kore." She gasped in outrage.

"No!" She told him. He pouted and squeezed her hands gently.

"What if we make a deal? You let me call you Kore, and I will give you grapes whenever you want." He pledged. She pursed her lips as she thought it over and then sighed and nodded her head.

"Okayyyyy." She said, drawing it out. (Letting him know what a concession it was for her to grant him such a boon.)

"Excellent! And you can call me Uncle Lando!" He exclaimed happily. She screwed up her face at him and he frowned. "Well...what would you like to call me then? Fair's fair."

"How about….Dinny?" She asked him with an innocent smile. Over her shoulder Maz smacked a hand over her mouth to stifle a cackle. Lando was panicking internally, as he truly didn't want to be called Dinny, but he assured himself he would be able to talk her out of such a horrible nickname.

"Well. Dinny it is." He said halfheartedly, missing the evil smile Rey shot Maz over her shoulder. Maz cackled harder and came over to the two of them.

"It is getting late." She told them after she had finally calmed down. "Sleepy, dear?" Rey suddenly looked exhausted and nodded. Maz couldn't really blame the girl. A full belly and a warm bath are enough to make anyone long for the comfort a warm bed often provided.

Lando tucked the grapes up into the handkerchief and wrapped them so Rey could hold onto them with one hand. The other he claimed and kissed the back of it gently.

"Night, little Kore." He murmured with a gentle smile. She surprised him by hugging him.

"Night, Dinny." She yawned.

Maz took her inside and led her up the stairs, putting the bath supplies in a little room a level above the main floor. Higher and higher the two climbed, going past open rooms filled with things like wine (from Lando), ambrosia and nectar (that Maz grew and supplied to Olympus), a well-stocked apothecary (that Maz used for the forest's inhabitants when they needed aid), as well as several rooms with bedding. So massive was the tree that it managed to hold them all and still have room for them to venture upward.

Finally the two came to a room that held a bed and a stand. It was plain, but as soon as the girl was settled into the bed, she gazed around as if she were in a palace.

"Sleep well, and call out if you need me." Maz told her, stroking her hair softly. Rey nodded and smiled, and soon her eyes closed and eventually the air was filled with soft little snores.

Maz left her to it, and wandered back down to the ground level, dimming lights she had bobbing about in the tree to accommodate the child sleeping upstairs. Another gift from Rose, the lights floated wherever she placed them and would brighten or dim at Maz's will. It kept her from having to light candles within her tree, which was good for very obvious reasons.

When Maz stepped back outside, night had fallen and stars shone brightly in the sky past the canopy of leaves above her and Lando. He was leaning back in the chair gazing up at the sky and looked deep in thought.

"I want the child to stay here." Maz admitted to him quietly. He nodded and turned to her with a sad smile.

"I thought you might, especially after seeing how the two of you acted together." He admitted.

"But….?" Maz prompted him.

"I was going to take her to Han and Leia." He admitted. Maz shook her head and he frowned at her.

"There is something about that child, Lando. A power she barely knows, and probably doesn't quite understand." Maz said quietly.

"And you are the one to help her with it? She is no mortal child, Maz. She is one of us, isn't she?"

"....I believe that she is."

"How is such a thing possible? There hasn't been a new god or goddess in decades. Why here? Why now?" He asked seriously. Maz moved past him to light a fire.

"I do not know." She admitted as she gazed into the flames. "But I do know that the others will not understand her abilities like you or I would. She should be raised on land, amongst life and the living. Not ln Olympus, way up in the clouds, away from the Earth."

"We cannot keep her here forever."

"No. That would be no kind of life." She nodded seriously. "Only until she has learned some form of control and I am confident in her ability to take care of herself." He eyed her doubtfully.

"You don't think I can take care of _myself_ , and I have been alive for _centuries_." He pointed out teasingly. She rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"Thank heavens then that the child is not of your brood." She shot back at him. He gasped and clutched his chest dramatically, as she rolled her eyes in retaliation.

"Alright then." He said after a moment. "She will stay with you. But I get to visit! I want to make sure she is okay." He looked towards the tree, as if he could conjure up an image of the girl just by staring.

"Of course. And when the time is right, if she wishes it, then I will present her to Olympus."

"Very well. When the time is right." The two nodded at each other in solidarity, as a bond was forged between them-one previously unmade, and one that would last forever.

“Oh, and Lando?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re still going to weed the garden before you leave.”

Sigh. “Damn.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------

_13 years later_

"Rey? You ready?" No response. "Kore?"

"Sorry, Dinny. I'm just a little nervous. But I have been waiting for this moment for years. No way am I backing out now!"

"Well. Let's go then, shall we? They are waiting for us. Oh, and Rey….this is super important. Really, probably the most important thing you need to remember today."

"What's that?"

"Don't….whatever you do….. _don't call me Dinny in front of Han_."

".......No promises."

A long suffering sigh was all that was given in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone liked it! Just a couple of things:
> 
> 1\. The line I put about how Lando had to go to Phasma to get that memory of Leia erased....I realized after I wrote it that if you read it a certain way, it sounds like Leia pounds Han into the bed. (For you innocent minds, meaning that she took a strap-on and had at it.) I THOUGHT about changing the line, but then I was like.....nahhhhhhhhhhh.
> 
> 2\. I was originally gonna have Lando just chill and be a drinking buddy to Luke/Leia/Han/Maz/Phasma/anyone I want. But then, I just started writing and this happened. I'm kinda digging Uncle Dinny now. If he came across as creepy towards Rey, I can only say...he isn't. He isn't gonna creep on her or be in any way kind of gross cause he thinks of her in a fatherly manner.
> 
> 3\. Lando doesn't want to go to poundtown with Han or Leia. He feels jealousy sometimes over the fact that they are happily married. But Lando also loves the bachelor life, so for now I'm keeping him that way.
> 
> 4\. Yeah, Lando is the one to call her Kore. But, and minor spoiler, he is going to let it slip accidentally to someone and then stories will be spread about her-which is how everyone knows OF her but only Rose will really KNOW her.
> 
> 5\. Maz is not going to be as controlling as Demeter is normally portrayed. The only reason Maz keeps her isolated is cause she wants Rey to be completely in control-which will be explored in later chapters...in flashbacks.
> 
> 6\. May sure to check out PunkForTheMoment's Dashboard-her story updated yesterday, and it was AWESOME!
> 
> 7\. Finally, May the 4th Be With You.....Always. <3


	4. I've Seen the Proof, I know the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo discovers who woke him up. He and Phasma get ready for Olympus and he selects a gift to present to the goddess Kore. Stuff Happens. He has a late night meeting. Phasma needs a drink.
> 
> (Sorry, I am really bad at these summaries...but I don't wanna give major spoilers so...read on!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had meant to have this chapter up the other night. Whoopsie!
> 
> Title comes from "Born for This" by Royal Deluxe
> 
> If I inserted it right, there should be a Moodboard made for me by PunkForTheMoment! She spoils me so. :D (If she reads this and wants to spoil me some more...I would not be opposed to another update of #ThirstyRey) <3

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Kylo jerked awake, flailing in his bed. He was  _ covered _ in sweat, with the sheets clinging to his body. He was rock hard and  _ moments _ away from bursting like a volcano, in what had to be the most  _ intense _ dream he had ever had…..and someone.  _ Dared _ . To  _ wake _ . Him  _ up _ .

He was sitting there plotting death and eternal suffering, when he began to hear voices penetrate the barrier of his door. Gods, it sounded as if the two of them were trying to reach Olympus with the screeching of their screams alone.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS LEAVING?"

"THERE'S AN EVENT AT OLYMPUS!"

"FUCK OLYMPUS!"

"FUCK OLYMPUS?!"

"YES! I SAID IT! FUCK OLYMPUS! HE CAN'T GO NOW! I JUST HAD AN INFLUX OF DELIVERIES AND THAT RAT BASTARD IS  _ NOT _ FLAKING OUT ON HIS PART OF THE JOB!"

Kylo grit his teeth as he seriously contemplated chucking the little ginger weasel into Tartarus….an almost everyday desire, unfortunately.

"THAT'S WHY HE HAS THE KNIGHTS OF REN! THEY CAN TAKE OVER FOR ONE FUCKING DAY!" Sweet mercy, Phasma was in rare form. Normally she didn't lose her cool like this.

He swung out of bed while they continued shouting obscenities at each other and dressed, willing his raging hard-on to go down. He pushed the dream from his mind for now, knowing he had to deal with this crisis before anything else.

He strode over to the door and swung it open in time to have to duck at a ball of flame rushing past his head. 

"HA! MISSED ME!" Kylo was faced with a panting Phasma, looking fit to be tied, and the deliverer of death gasping on the ground.

Phasma, upon seeing Kylo, immediately straightened up. Armitage Hux, or known above as Thanatos, smirked at her as he had yet to notice Kylo.

"What's the matter, Phasma? Afraid we will wake Ren? If he hasn't woken by now, the great lug won't wake because you tossed a fireball at his door." He panted triumphantly.

"Great lug huh?" Kylo asked through clenched teeth. Hux flushed as red as his hair, as he tilted his head back to look at Kylo.

"Lord Hades! You're uh...awake!" Hux said shakily, hastily standing and dusting himself off.

"I imagine the whole palace is awake...with the amount of SHOUTING the two of you decided to do." Kylo said silkily. Hux began to pale as he seemed to realize just how upset Kylo was.

"My….my lord…." He began. Kylo held up a hand and Hux fell mute. Kylo looked at Phasma, and saw she had since calmed down and was looking guilty.

"What happened." He directed towards her. She sighed.

"I was coming to wake you to remind you we needed to leave for Olympus soon. I was...delayed." She gestured towards Hux with a frown. Hux glared at her.

"I was merely expressing concern over how many souls I recently brought in for judgment there were, and how Lord Hades would know better than to abandon his duties at such short notice for something as...frivolous...as a party." Hux explained, clasping his hands behind his back and standing at attention.

"You're absolutely right." Kylo said after studying him. Hux twitched, unsure he had heard him correctly.

"He is?"

"I am?"

"Oh, yes. It is wrong of me to abandon my duties on such short notice." Hux looked relieved. "That is why I am so glad that you volunteered to handle things in my absence." Hux's eyes bulged.

"M-m-m-me, Kylo? Haha...that is...I mean to say…" Hux blustered. Phasma rubbed her hand across her face, and across the smile Kylo knew she had flicker on her lips.

"If you have any formal complaints, please feel free to take them up with me upon my return. Unless if you think your KING is too much of a RAT BASTARD to listen to your meaningful concerns?" 

If Hux had not been immortal, Kylo was sure he would have perished at that moment. All the blood had drained from his face, leaving him looking little more than a corpse. A pale ginger corpse with vibrant blue eyes. 

"I….I will see to everything, then." He stammered faintly. Kylo nodded sharply at him, and Hux turned and stumbled away down the hall. As soon as he had rounded the corner, Phasma let out a snort.

"I'm surprised he didn't pass out on the floor." Phasma chuckled. Kylo ignored her in favor of returning to his room and striding over to his closet. Phasma followed behind him, her steps a silent echo of his.

"What do you think I should wear?" He asked, tugging off his shirt and tossing it on the floor. At no reply, he glanced at her to see her looking at him oddly. "What?"

"Everything you own…"

".....Yes?"

"....Well….it's all...black. I doubt it matters much what you choose to wear."

"Excellent." He said flatly. "Then choose something while I go and bathe." He disappeared into the bathroom, tugging the rest of his clothes off and flinging them aside as he went.

"As you wish, my lord." She shrugged, going over to the closet and peering inside. "Once I pick something, I will leave it out for you and go dress myself!" She called to him through the door. 

At his answering call of acknowledgement, she began picking through his options. Finding one she liked, she draped it over a chair by his desk, and quietly left the room. Seeing several servants approach the door, she recommended to them that they should clean Kylo's room once they had left, since he wasn't in the best mood. With grateful bows, they left, and she continued on her way.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Once Kylo was alone, he lowered himself into his bathing pool. He took himself in hand, and began to finish what the dream had started. Lost in the memory of his little hellion goddess, he closed his eyes and attempted to picture her.

What would she look like if she were real? Her body was smaller than his, perfect for him to curl around and embrace. Her skin felt like velvet, and he knew of no equal to the warmth of her heat. Her breasts were glorious, those beautiful round orbs being cupped perfectly in his hands as those nipples hardened and ached for attention.

He could recall every detail about their coupling. Ever sigh, every moan, and  _ especially _ every glide she took up and down on his shaft as they gave themselves to one another. Thinking about everything they had done sent him over the edge, and he spilled himself into his hand as he arched with a hoarse cry.

He grabbed a rag that was resting by the side of the pool and hastily wiped himself off. He leaned back in the water with a sigh and began to brood.

_ Was she real _ ? That question overtook his mind as he began to quickly wash himself. If she was real, what was the dream? It could be a vision-a glimpse of his future where this mysterious being was his wife and he her husband. Gods above, he  _ ached _ at that thought, so deep was his yearning.

Other possibilities flicked through his mind-wishful thinking, a prank from another god or goddess, or even something as sinister as an attack on his person while he lay defenseless in his sleep. He could believe any or none of these, but he couldn't shake the thought that his first instinct was correct.

It felt like a vision. If that was the case, and he was operating on that for now, then that meant his little goddess was out there somewhere. It felt more imperative than ever for him to go to Olympus today. Thinking that stopped him in his tracks.

If...if he had had the vision last night after his decision to go to Olympus today...then surely that meant he was meant to find her there! The Fates were often mercurial, but he knew that everything that was happening was no coincidence. He was supposed to go to that party.

Invigorated, he finished and rose from the pool. Water dripped down his soaked head and traveled past his abs (and further down still) while he began drying himself off roughly. He rushed through preparations, anxious to uncover the truth of the day and ready to leave for Olympus. 

He threw on the black robes Phasma had laid out, and pulled on his black boots and gloves. He came to his desk and hesitated over the helmet he had displayed on a stand next to the desk. 

The helmet, his Helm of Darkness, allowed him to become invisible to the eye. He became one with shadows and was able to pass by unseen and unheard by all. Wearing it would also distance himself from anyone who would speak with him, as it would be a barrier between them...hiding himself from prying eyes. All they would be able to see of him would be a creature in a metal mask.

While that would be fine for any other immortal being, he did not wish to drive away his little goddess before he had the chance to find her. That was another issue to worry about-was she even a goddess? True, he had been picturing her as such, but how could he be certain?

Too many questions, and very few answers. He decided that he would go see the Fates himself...after the celebration. He could not afford to miss this opportunity of potentially finding her.

He finally grabbed and placed his helmet over his head. He was tired of waiting. He felt this buzz of energy writhing beneath his skin-a feeling that something monumental would occur today. He was more than ready to discover what exactly it was.

Behind the mask, everything he viewed was touched by shadows; casting the world into perpetual twilight. He stretched out a hand towards one and watched as his arm joined with the darkness. He stepped forward, and his entire body flowed through as if he was passing through a body of water.

He emerged outside a door not too far from his own chambers. He raised a hand and knocked twice, then leaned against the opposite wall with his arms crossed. Phasma stepped out, holding a small wooden box in her arms. Other than an exasperated sigh at his mask, she made no comment on his appearance.

"What is that for?" He inquired, gesturing towards the box. She leveled him with a flat stare.

"Normally it is customary to give a gift for the one being honored." She said dryly. 

"Seems rather foolish." He scoffed. "Nobody knows anything about this girl. She could end up tossing most of it away." Phasma shrugged.

"I realize it has been a while since you have done this sort of thing, but that's the way it is." She sighed. He clenched his fists and held back a scowl. He nodded sharply at her, touched a shadow by his elbow, then vanished.

He appeared in a random room of the palace and paced around. He knew nothing of giving gifts and had no idea of what to give some whiff of a girl he had never met. Surely, any present she received from him would be tossed aside for things given by other gods or goddesses. And why should he even care?

He groaned in frustration. He knew why it mattered-it was an issue of pride. He did not want to give the others yet  _ another _ reason to judge him, to deem him as lesser than they.

He stalked towards another shadow and melted into a vault he kept deep within the depths of the palace. He was the only being that could come here, as entering required any who tried to bear the Helm of Darkness….and it rarely left his possession.

The vault was pitch black, but with his mask he was able to peer through and see the item he was seeking. A chest, tucked away in the corner of the vast room, covered in a thick layer of dust. He knelt down and pressed his hand to the lid. Feeding a trindle of his power into the wood, he watched as it began to gape open.

Inside were ancient weapons few touched. Blades made long ago, they were harmless except in the hands of an immortal. Appearing as a handheld metallic wand, a god or goddess merely had to call upon their power in order for the blade to ignite. A beam of light reflecting their energy would emit from the handle, and would become a deadly weapon.

These weapons were one of very few things that were able to slay immortal beings, and weapons he completely ignored for an item wrapped in a deep blue velvet cloth. He picked it up and moved the cloth to the side, examining the object it embraced.

A crystal, pure white and shining. One of the last he had ever bothered to have mined, it had the potential to be a weapon of great power, or could be used for a higher purpose. A gift worthy of a goddess, and worthy of being given by a god...especially one such as he.

He leaned over and picked up two of the blades. One was his, something he had not had a chance to wield in a while. He set aside his items, and closed and sealed the lid. He tucked his blade into his belt, and gripped the other. With the weapon in his right hand and the rewrapped crystal in his left, he departed from the vault and back into the hall where Phasma still awaited him.

"My lord…" She stammered, seeing what he had grasped in his hands. "Are you sure?" He was grateful that she did not question his decision. He inclined his head and held out the metal handle of the blade.

"For you, Phasma." He murmured. "A blade worthy of my liaison, and my pupil." She moved the box she held to one hand and clutched the blade with the other. She ignited it, and they watched as silver fire erupted from the hilt. Within the silver were flecks of black, blue, and red, all swirling and dancing throughout in a kaleidoscope of brilliance.

"Will they not consider this an insult, Kylo? An act of war?" She asked, mesmerized by the beauty of her blade.

"It would only be war if we were to attack anyone there. This is a show of our strength, Phasma. They seem to have forgotten why they are able to rejoice and celebrate in the sky. It is time we remind them of our power." He said, the mask distorting his voice and making it sound sinister. "A Saber of Light is an ancient and noble weapon. They should be honored that we will carry them to this...Kore's celebration."

"As you say, Lord Hades." She bowed.

"Let us go then, Lady Hecate."

She powered down the blade and slipped it beneath her silver cloak. She extended an arm towards him and he clasped his hand to hers. Together, they vanished from the Underworld and reappeared in the shade of a tree not far from the gates of Olympus.

"Well." He sighed. "Let's get this over with."

\---------------------------------------------------------

The party was certainly loud and ostentatious. He had several moments during the whole affair where he regretted ever setting foot in this blinding catastrophe. 

Oh, the presentation had been standard. His father and mother officially welcomed the girl and proclaimed her as an official goddess: Goddess of Springtime. He had ignored the entire proceedings as he was too busy scanning the crowds of people. He was unable to see any being he would have thought to be his mysterious bed companion from his vision.

He and Phasma had stood at the back of the great hall, ignoring the side-eyes and whispers. Phasma had kept flicking him subtly in an effort to get him to pay attention, but he brushed her off every time.

All that effort, all that  _ time _ searching the crowds and he hadn't found her. Now, Olympus was in high spirits celebrating, and his mood was as black as his robes. He found himself hiding in a secluded nook away from the partiers, and he willed himself invisible as he gazed up at the stars.

The party had already lasted well into the night. By his estimation, dawn was only a few hours away. He would have already abandoned the place and returned underground, but something compelled him to remain for just a little while longer. Besides, he hadn't enjoyed a view like this in...eons.

He became aware of noises that were coming towards him, but he chose not to look. He was leaning against the wall-it was doubtful they would be able to stumble over him. And he didn't feel like making himself intangible. Invisible was enough...being intangible required a little more effort and he was beginning to tire from the lack of proper sleep the night prior.

"Okay.  _ Okay _ . All you have to do is go up and just say 'Hello' to her. It isn't like she is the kind of goddess that will bite my head off. Oh dear gods, I hope she isn't the type of goddess to bite my head off." A feminine voice reached his ears. He tilted his head back against the wall and shut his eyes. Maybe she would go away soon.

Suddenly a foot collided with his leg and he felt her fall...at least she would have, if he hadn't reached out and steadied her. He opened his eyes and nearly bit his tongue off.

She was….she was  _ so beautiful _ . Her entire body was lit from within and she glowed with a warm yellow light. She was wearing a soft white dress that flowed gracefully over her body. Her hair was a light brown, pinned up in a high arching bun. Her eyes, piqued with curiosity, were this beautiful shade of hazel he could spend eternity gazing into and still need an eternity more to aptly describe every nuance within them.

"How is this possible? Who's there?" She demanded, twisting her head around to search for him. He had let her go as soon as he had set her to rights, so she was stretching out her hand toward air.

"My apologies." He said awkwardly, willing his voice to sound normal through his mask. He rarely did so, as it was an unnecessary use of his abilities. But  _ oh _ , he was willing to do it for her.

"So there  _ is _ someone there!" She exclaimed triumphantly. He nodded his head before he remembered she couldn't see him.

"Yes." He admitted quietly. She plopped down on the ground, facing where the sound of his voice was coming from.

"Why can't I see you?" She asked inquisitively. He shifted slightly and her eyes narrowed on the sound.

"I suppose because I do not wish to be seen." He told her honestly.

"Is that why you are out here alone?" She asked quietly, playing a bit with the hem of her dress. He thought a bit deliriously that white was the perfect color for her as it highlighted her beautiful sun-kissed skin. 

"Why are  _ you _ out here alone?" He asked after a moment.

"I believe I asked you first."

"Well...I'm not the one tripping over anyone." He pointed out, and she blushed. He watched as it traveled down her neck and lower and  _ lower _ and wished he could see how far down it just happened to go.

"It's not my fault! You're invisible!" She fussed crossly. He felt his lips move and was shocked to find himself grinning. What was  _ happening _ to him?

"I don't like crowds." He blurted out, trying to regain his bearings. She softened at his admittance.

"I'm not overly fond of them myself." She told him. "Not really used to them."

"So you ran off to hide from the party too?" He asked.

"Well….not exactly. See, there is someone here and I have been dying to meet her cause she is a hero of mine but I can't bring myself to do it because I am too much of a bloody chicken to do so." She explained in a rush. "Now...your turn."

"My turn? I believe I already answered."

"Well...yes. But not the whole truth. So why are you really out here all by yourself?"

"I...I came here today hoping to find someone. But...I am unsure if I have." As he said that, he studied the girl in a new light. Was this glowing creature the one he had seen in his dream? Or was he merely projecting his hopes on her and wishing it were so?

"What a pair we make." She sighed. He huffed in agreement.

"Who was it you were wishing to speak to?" He asked after a moment's silence. She tilted her head up towards the sky and he swallowed hard, honing in on the way her neck arched and how...biteable it looked.

"Only one of the most intriguing goddesses here. Her title is Hecate...but I have been told she goes by Phasma." She told him. "She seems like such a badass."

"Phas would be pleased you think so." He said with a smile. She swung her head to look in his direction and he froze at the look of horror in her eyes.

"Oh gods. You know Phasma? And you let me dither on about her in front of you!? Oh gods!" She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. He reached out and gently took one of them within his own and cradled it. She clapped the other one over her eyes and huffed, although he was pleased to see she hadn't withdrawn the hand in his grasp.

"Ohhhh can the ground just swallow me?" She groaned dramatically. He nearly opened his mouth to tell her that he was more than willing to make it happen and if she wanted they could go right  _ then _ and be in his palace in  _ moments _ and be in his bedroom in  _ seconds _ and he could be inside her in  _ no time at all What The Fuck Was Wrong With Him _ .

"You should be careful what you wish for." He choked out after a brief consultation with his groin to ensure that he would not become fully hard while at fucking  _ Olympus _ of all places.

"You sound like my Uncle." 

"Oh?" That was good. One word responses required very little thinking on his part, leaving him able to focus on how he  _ wasn't _ going to take this goddess in his arms and ravish her against the stone walls; he just  _ wasn't _ going to ravish her against the stone walls; he just  _ wasn't… _ .

"He is the kind of man to break out random little sayings like 'If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride!'.....I suppose you both are right though." She admitted. "I mean, I get the whole point of this shindig is to  _ honor _ me or whatever, but I would probably end up swallowing my tongue and stammering like a fool in front of Phasma if I were to actually try and speak with her."

He nearly bit his tongue off in an attempt to keep himself from bombarding her with questions. This was Kore? The Lady of Spring? Gods, no wonder Maz had kept her from the others, as radiant as she was.

"You're Kore?" He bit out nervously.

"Ugh. I hate that stupid name. My Uncle gave it to me as a joke, and swore he would never tell anyone about it. He got drunk ONE time with King Han and let it slip and within a day  _ everyone _ knew." She sounded fit to be tied and he wanted to laugh at her frustration.

"So now people know you as Kore….what's your real name then?" He asked. She looked at him in surprise.

"Nobody has asked me that yet because they all assume Kore is." She whispered. "But...it's Rey. My name is Rey."

It was perfect for her. He was sure that out of all the names in the world, he would never think any other could  _ possibly _ suit her as well.

"I'm Kylo." He offered, testing to see if she recognized the name. Very few did, as he had only taken on the name when he became the King of the Underworld. Most called him by his title, with the exception of his subordinates that had been granted the privilege of addressing him so informally.

"Pleased to meet you...such as it is." She grinned, using the hand still held within his and squeezing his firmly. He murmured an agreement and they both sat still for a few moments. They could hear the celebration in the distance, but both felt comfortable where they were. Eventually she sighed.

"I should go…" She told him glumly. He grew desperate, wishing he could keep her there for a few moments more.

"Wait!" He halted her. She looked confused. He racked his brain until...ah. Of course. "I have a gift for you."

"What is it?"

He suddenly wanted to test her. To see if she was the girl he had been looking for, and to tease her a bit as much as she had unknowingly and unwittingly teased him.

"I am unsure if I should give it to you." He began, "Lord Hades entrusted it to me to give to the fearless little goddess that Maz had raised." He was laying it on a little thick, he knew, but he couldn't resist.

"And now that you know she is a bit of a coward you plan on keeping it for yourself?" She asked ruefully. He chuckled at her.

"No, little goddess." He purred darkly. "I wish to make a bargain with you."

"And...and what would that be?" She had seemed a little affected by his change in demeanor. Her pupils blew a little, and he saw that she was completely focused on where she considered his face to be. He grabbed her other hand and tugged her up gently, bringing them both up to stand.

"This is for you." He said, drawing out the cloth and crystal and placing it within her hands. As soon as it passed out of his into hers, his offering shimmered into view. She lifted the cloth back and choked.

"Is this a KYBER crystal?" She demanded breathlessly. 

"Mmhmm."

"Lord Hades is giving me THIS?"

"Well technically, I am giving it to you." 

"You know what I meant!" She stuttered out. "I thought that these had all been destroyed...that there were none left after the war."

"Hades took them and sealed them away from the world. They were no longer needed. But the ones you speak of are the crystals that were forged into becoming the Light Sabers."

"Is this not such a crystal?" She inquired, studying it intently.

"No. That is the last crystal that was mined before the mines were closed to replenish. It has great power, as it was blessed by the Earth Mother herself. You could do much with it, especially as you are so in-tune with the Earth."

She seemed to understand that what she had been given was priceless beyond measure. She began breathing heavily and began to tremble.

"I am not worthy of such a generous gift. Please...please return it to him." She begged him, offering the crystal back.

"Lord Hades retrieved this himself for you. He must have believed you would do great things with it." As he spoke, he wrapped his hands around hers, and they held the crystal together. "Please keep it." He begged her softly.

What had been a means of showing his power and pride, now he wanted nothing more than for her to have the kyber crystal. At that moment, he could not have named a more worthy recipient.

"You said you wished to make a bargain...for the crystal." She looked down at her hands.

"Go to Phasma. Speak to her, and you will have earned it a thousand times over." He pulled away, breaking contact with her.

"Seems an unfair trade."

"I agree entirely."

"You do?"

"Indeed. Phasma is very lucky to have your admiration."

"That's...that isn't what I meant." She huffed lightly. He reached out and caressed her face gently with his gloved hand, cupping her cheek while tenderly tracing her skin.

"I know." He whispered.

"Kylo…" she exhaled, closing her eyes.

"Yes?" He breathed. She seemed to struggle for a moment as if unsure how to put what she desired into words.

" _Please…_ " She begged softly. And his _world_. His entire world….felt as if it exploded. _It_ _._ _Was_ _._ _Her_. He recognized that plea from his vision. This woman he held between his hands was the _one_. 

He willed the mouthpiece separating them gone; and once it had vanished, he crushed his lips to hers. He plundered her mouth and claimed her tongue, kissing her with every ounce of desperation he had struggled with for the past day.

He had never kissed a woman before his dream the night before. There was always something, some reason, preventing him from making any sort of romantic connection with another….and that was before he descended to the Underworld.

But kissing her...kissing Rey. Even in his dream he had not fumbled or been awkward once. It was as if his body instinctively knew what to do...as if they had done their dance a million times, and that night was just a continuation of a passion whose flame never died. 

Tasting the lips of this incandescent goddess in his arms was something he had no desire to cease. Kissing her was something he knew he could do forever. He was certain that if it had been any other female in his arms, that he would have been unable to muster nearly half the  _ need _ as he did for her. 

He felt comfortable with her, even though the two of them had really only had the one conversation, he felt as if he had known a part of her forever. As if a piece of his soul had existed outside of himself, and found safe keeping within  _ her _ . He was connected to her in a way that he didn't understand; and in that moment, with her clinging to him, he found he could not give a damn.

She moaned, clutching at him with her hands, the crystal digging into his side. Gods, he could care less if she managed to pierce his side and kill him in that moment, as long as she kept kissing him until he expired.

As he drew back from her to take in much needed air, he believed that nothing could spoil how perfect this had been with her. This woman was the one that was meant to be with him, and now all he had to do was convince her of the rightness of their connection...no matter what it would take.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

_12_ _hours_ _later_

Phasma woke to a great wave of power. Power unlike any that she had ever experienced before. Power that could have only come from a single person….. _ Kylo _ .

Phasma had not realized how late the hour had been when she had finally left Olympus. She had spent the entire night dodging Dameron and trying to find out more about the woman she had seen lounging by one of the many fountains Olympus had.

Dameron had kept returning to her and the two would talk and laugh as if they had done so all their lives. She was a beauty that glowed in the moonlight, and Phasma could sense the strength she carried within her.

Phasma had been unable to learn much about the woman, other than her name: Kaydel. From what she had heard around Olympus over the years, Kaydel was the name of the Lady Artemis….and if Phasma remembered correctly, Artemis was not one who cared for romantic attachment.

Phasma would love nothing more than to return to her chambers and get some much needed rest (and mourn over how unlucky she was in romance), but she knew that she would be needed. If Kylo had expelled that much power, enough to rattle the entire  _ kingdom _ , then it must be over something grave indeed.

She transported herself outside the door to Kylo's chambers and knocked once. Hearing silence, she glanced around and came upon a vision that had her wishing she had snuck out some of the wine on Olympus….because she felt the need for a drink coming on…. _ desperately _ .

Kylo strode towards her, garbed in deep black robes with the black hood tipped over his Helm of Darkness. His Saber was secured to his belt, swaying with every step he took. He looked every inch the dark king everyone feared him as. But what Phasma knew would complicate and change  _ everything _ was what he carried unconscious, cradled in his arms.

Phasma had not had the chance to speak to the girl, but she knew her immediately as she had only seen her the day before being honored by King Han and Queen Leia. She was dressed in plain clothes versus the dress that had clung to her skin, but Phasma knew it was definitely her.

"Kylo." She gasped. "Oh, Kylo….what have you  _ done _ ?" He had stopped before her, shifting slightly so as not to disturb the sleeping maiden in his arms.

Phasma waved her hand towards the door, opening it while she waited for him to answer her. He bypassed her completely, depositing his passenger gently on his bed. She shivered lightly, wrapped in thin white and grey clothes. He withdrew his cloak and draped it over her tenderly, ensuring that she was completely covered against any chill.

The girl slumbered on, a vision amidst the silky black that were Kylo's sheets. Her eyes moved beneath their lids, and she frowned lightly in her sleep. Kylo reached out a hand and brushed back the hair that had fallen onto her cheek, and she relaxed, exhaling lightly.

"Kylo." Phasma hissed, trying to keep from waking the girl up. Kylo reached up and removed his mask, turning to her with a sigh.

"It's complicated." He muttered.

Phasma really needed that fucking drink now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Couple Things:
> 
> 1\. I will be playing around with the timeline a bit (and with which character will be focused on). So it may feel like 2 steps forward (they kissed for realsies! He kidnapped her!) to like 3 steps back or something (Rey's POV of the ceremony, kiss, kidnapping...etc. Etc.) I would have put all of Rey's stuff in this chapter, but then it would have been SUPER long, and I feel like this was long enough already.
> 
> 2\. Armitage may seem like a little worm, but I do plan on showing him in a more positive light. He and Kylo seemed to majorly clash here, but that's cause Hux woke him up from his dream of sexy times with Rey. (And Hux is ticked cause it seems like Kylo is just planning on peacing out and going to Olympus last minute...which he totally is and did.)
> 
> 3\. I LOVED writing that beginning dialog of Hux and Phasma.
> 
> 4\. I mention that Kylo is able to vanish a part of his mask to kiss Rey. He is a GOD with GODLY POWERS and his Helm of Darkness. If he wants to vanish part of the mask while still being able to kiss the daylights out of his girl, I say he can go for it.
> 
> 5\. Does anyone have any suggestions for personally made breaks in the story? I have been using lines, but it never looks right to me when I am reading it on my phone versus my laptop. If you have a helpful tip you don't mind sharing, please comment!
> 
> 6\. If you spot any issues, please make sure to let me know!


	5. Where It Began, I Can't Begin To Knowin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am really bad at these things. How about I just say some of the people that will be introduced-Han, Leia, Rose, Paige, Finn, etc. Rey's at Olympus!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Sorry it took so long to update-I wasn't sure just how to begin this chapter, especially since I really wanted to just skip to the good stuff, which is Kylo and Rey in the Underworld. Unfortunately, I can't just yadda yadda over the details, so behold: plot.
> 
> Also, Title is from "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond

_ The Night Before Rey's Presentation to Olympus _

Rey was nervous….incredibly so, in fact. She and Maz had come to Olympus early at the behest of King Han and Queen Leia in order for them to meet before the presentation. While she felt as if she knew them, at least a little-Lando was always telling stories-she felt a bit hesitant to speak with the rulers of Olympus. 

"Everything will be alright." Maz assured her, watching as Rey paced back and forth in the chamber Lando had brought them to. Both Maz and Lando were settled on couches, watching as Rey paced back and forth across the room.

"This is going to be a disaster. Look at me! Look at this place! I don't...I don't belong here." Rey admitted, coming to a halt and gazing out a window at the vast grounds. She hugged herself tightly and exhaled lightly, feeling her power thrumming though her veins. 

She could feel the life that flowed through this place. Throughout all of Olympus-the people, the plants, the animals. She felt a deep connection to them, especially the ones that were in the room with her. Her family. If she focused...truly focused, she felt them and could tell where they were if they happened to be nearby.

She had asked Maz once if Maz ever felt the flow of power throughout the Earth the way that Rey could. When she described all the things she could sense and feel, especially in regards to other beings, Maz had grown contemplative.

"You have a power, child. A power I do not think anyone else will understand. Only you will be able to know just how deep inside it rests, and how far you may take it when it is ready to awaken."

Maz had been a great help in showering her how to exercise her abilities...but Rey knew that there was a part deeper still that had yet to be explored. She approached a potted apple tree that was next to the window and reached out her hand.

She sent a light tendril of her power into the tree and they all watched as an apple grew ripe and heavy. She plucked it and began playing with the stem and resumed pacing.

"Kore." Lando's voice halted her. She glanced over at him and saw Maz had left them. He rose from the couch and walked over to her. Plucking the apple from her hand with a wink, he set it on a table and enfolded her within his arms.

She sighed and returned his embrace. When they drew back from each other, he lifted an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. He always made her feel better with a hug. He knew it too-and was shameless in his use of them, as he hated to see her upset. "You're such a softy, Dinny." She laughed.

"Dinny, huh?" A voice called, causing Lando to freeze and Rey to turn in confusion. Lando groaned and began muttering curses under his breath, directed at…. _ oh _ .

King Han was everything that Lando had told her he would be. He appeared young-as most immortals did-and dressed as...for lack of a better term...a  _ scoundrel _ . 

From her brief time living on the streets, Rey had seen several men, particularly sailors, dress the way that the king was. She could easily imagine him a pirate, going off to pillage and plunder whichever vessel unlucky enough to catch his eye.

"Han?  _ Han _ ? Where did you go?" A strong feminine voice called faintly. At Lando's furious head shaking, Han grinned widely and called out, "In here, Leia!"

"Bottle of wine if you don't mention what you just heard." Lando whispered desperately. Rey scoffed and hit his arm. Han shook his head and wagged his finger.

"Lando...Lando, Lando,  _ Lando _ . Are you asking me to keep a secret from my  _ wife _ , your  _ queen _ ?" He asked cheekily. Lando scowled at him and rubbed where Rey had smacked him.

"You mean something like your secret of you sneaking off to race horses with Dameron? " A wry voice asked from behind Han. He spun and held out his arm to his wife with a sheepish grin.

"Is it really a secret if you already knew?" He asked, shrugging and running his hand through his hair guiltily. She laughed and tangled her hand with his, looking towards Rey and Lando.

Rey immediately curtsied, something that she felt completely foolish for not doing before then. She felt as if maybe it was because Leia exuded royalty. Draped in a lightly shimmering gown, her hair hung loose and a crown rested amidst her curls. Han bore no such crown, but next to Leia anyone could see the bond the two shared.

"Look, Leia. She's acting like she's never seen an old married couple before." Han teased, throwing Rey a wink when she rose from her curtsey. 

"Forgive me if I caused offense." Rey stammered with a blush. Leia nudged Han aside and approached Rey with a smile.

"The only offense committed is us only meeting today." Leia told her warmly, embracing Rey and glaring daggers at Lando. Lando held his hands up with a look of panic and Han laughed at both of them.

"Look, Leia. It wasn't up to me." Lando told her, dropping back onto the couch and beckoning Han to join him. Leia led Rey to the other and both sat and they all observed one another. 

"Even so. It has been 13 years since you and Maz met Rey, and this is the first time we meet?" She asked quizzically. Lando and Rey shrugged.

"Maz and Lando were teaching me how to handle my abilities." Rey told her. "As they are more...involved with the Earth, given their gifts...it made sense for me to live with her and develop my skills." Han and Leia nodded.

"Speaking of Kanata...where did she go?" Han asked, flitting a glance around the room. 

"I was looking for where we would be sleeping tonight." Maz said, coming into the room with a basket in her arms. Han perked up and leaned forward with his hand outstretched.

"Maz, you old beauty. Is that what I think it is?" He grabbed a package near the top. He unwrapped it and practically moaned in delight.

"He's been hoping you would bring more." Leia told Maz, gazing at Han fondly.

"Sfe mekes sum uf de beft ambrotha" Han exclaimed, his mouth full with his stolen treat. Rey laughed at how ridiculous it was for the king of the gods to sit there eating and speaking with his mouth full like a child.

The older Olympians watched her with smiles and, especially on Han and Leia's part, relief that she was not as nervous as she had been.

"We are staying the night?" Rey asked, once she had settled. Leia shot a glance towards Han before she turned back to Rey.

"We would be honored if you would." Leia said gently. Han nodded in agreement in between bites. He finished and reached for another package from Maz's basket, only for her to rap his knuckles with a wooden spoon she had produced from who knows where.

"This is for  _ tomorrow _ , Han Solo. Paws off." She fussed. Han pouted and Lando and Leia laughed. Maz gestured for Rey to come, and she rose to accompany her before she stopped and pivoted towards Lando.

"I'm sorry for not being able to keep from doing what we discussed." She lamented, hiding a smirk. He frowned at her doubtfully and sighed before holding out his arms. She giggled and gave him a peck on his cheek, holding an arm for balance, before she and Maz left the room.

Once they were far enough away, Leia pounced. "Oooooh….pray tell, Lando. What did she do?" She inquired with a gleam in her eye. Lando squirmed and blushed lightly.

"Does it have anything to do with...Dinny?" Han asked innocently, a predatory look in his eye. Lando groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands roughly.

"It's nothing!" He said weakly. Leia lifted an eyebrow and he caved. "It's a nickname Rey gave me when she was a little tot. It made her happy." He ended in a mumble, glaring at them as if to dare them to laugh. 

Leia rose from the couch and flowed to Lando, kissing his forehead sweetly. "What a lucky girl to have you as family." She murmured, before rising and beckoning for Han to do so as well.

He wrapped her in his arms and winked at Lando. "See you tomorrow, Uncle Dinny." He smirked and with a slight crack and a faint hint of ozone, the two were gone. Lando made a mental note to stay  _ far _ away from their chambers, as he knew that ambrosia could make Han feel a bit frisky and needy for his wife. He didn't want to make  _ that _ mistake again, thank you very much.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

_ Rey's Presentation to Olympus _

  
  


Leia and Han stood before the vast sea of guests, waiting for Rey to approach the dais and be formally recognized as a goddess. Leia cast her eyes among the crowd, smiling and bowing her head in acknowledgement to guests that had not been to Olympus in some time.

Rey came to stop before the pair, and Leia inwardly thought that the girl was a vision in her gown. Pure white and flowing down her body, Leia could see several gods give discreet lecherous glances as Rey knelt before them. Leia made a mental note of each god and resolved herself to several interesting conversations later on that evening, regarding the young goddess and how they could seek their carnal pleasure elsewhere.

"Greetings, honored guests!" Han's voice boomed out, jerking Leia's attention back to the ceremony. "My wife and I thank you for attending this celebration. It is not every day that we have cause to request your company, and for such a wonderful reason." 

Han continued his spiel, and Leia made another mental note to make sure to reward him later for how well he had memorized the speech she had prepared for him. They both knew that he was rubbish at public speaking, normally preferring to let her do so for minor events.

But this child, this….Rey. Leia could tell she was something truly special. She gazed down at the young woman and nearly chuckled at how furiously she blushed at parts, especially when Han would break script and  _ wait Han was breaking script _ …

"Really, don't know what Maz was thinking, keeping you away all these years...well...guess we can, can't we princess?" At her thunderous look he flushed and cleared his throat. "Where before she knelt as Rey, daughter of Maz, we ask that she rise before all of Olympus and claim her title of  _ Kore, the Goddess of Spring _ ."

Thunderous applause and various cheers rose, and Leia watched as Rey beamed at the crowd. Lando was wiping his eyes furiously and Maz wept unashamedly as Rey went to embrace them. Leia stepped forward and raised her hands, inviting the doors to the seemingly endless chamber to open. 

Standing by the door, Leia noticed Lady Phasma, and (her heart clenched) what appeared to be her son. Of course, his face was hidden by that mask of his, but she would know him even if he were in tattered rags.

She stumbled forward a step, stretching out a hand in longing...only for it to be grasped by her husband. She turned to him and he shook his head at her silently, his face an impassive mask.

" _ Han _ ." She exhaled, the desire to go to their son plain for him to see. 

"You were the one who said we had to let him come to us." He reminded her, escorting her down the steps and following behind the throng of people.

Leia caught sight of Rey ahead, surrounded by several gods and goddesses that made up the Council of Olympus. She and Han watched as Poe Dameron, the Lord Apollo, flirted outrageously and poor Rey stared at him bemusedly in response.

"Dear gods. Was I that bad?" Han asked her in horror. She snorted and laughed, patting his arm that her hand rested on.

"Of course not." She said sweetly. He smirked and puffed up his chest, before she added, "You were much worse!" He deflated and rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her before kissing her cheek.

"Joke's on you, princess. You married this." He gestured towards himself.

"What was I thinking." She mused lightly. He frowned at her and she giggled before drawing him into a sensuous kiss. "Best decision I ever made, flyboy." She breathed. His eyes became hooded and he claimed her lips again...only for the two of them to be interrupted by someone's throat clearing.

Breaking apart, they turned to see Lady Phasma standing awkwardly before them with her gaze slightly averted. Leia cast a glance around her, but could not see her son anywhere. She tried to ignore the sting that knowledge gave her.

"Your majesties." Phasma bowed. Leia noticed her hand grasping the hilt of a sword that she had not seen in many, many years. 

"Where did you get that?" She asked her sharply, breaking through Han's return greeting. He looked down to what she was pointing at and he stilled.

"My wife asked you a question, Lady Phasma." He said dangerously, thunder rumbling in his voice. Phasma withdrew the blade and offered it to Leia with a bow.

"Forgive me. I told him this wasn't a good idea." She muttered. Leia took the blade and felt the hilt in her hand. It had been so long since she had wielded one of these. Lifetimes ago.

"Him?" She asked delicately. Han had taken the hilt from her hand and was observing it silently while she questioned Phasma. 

"My Lord Hades was most adamant in us presenting a...strong front. He did not wish to dishonor his kingdom and did not want to appear weak." Phasma told her, eyes following Han.

"Why these blades?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"This one was his gift to me. My King has been teaching me most of what he knows in swordplay." At her words, Leia held out a hand to Han. He cocked an eyebrow at her in query and she nodded. 

He returned the hilt of the blade to her and Leia handed it back gently to Phasma, both watching the look of awe on her face as she realized she was not to be punished.

"A very high honor, and a great show of trust he places with you." Leia said with a bittersweet smile. "May we see?" Phasma was shocked, but quickly ignited the sword and Leia made note of the color of the blade. 

She was pleased that the molten red that used to haunt her dreams was not the color of Phasma's saber...although there were a few flecks of red amidst the silver. A strong soul, with just a hint of darkness. Considering the source, Leia was pleased at her son's choice of companion...even if it wasn't of a more permanent nature...specifically matrimonially. 

"May it serve you well in your service to your king and to Olympus, Lady Hecate." She said formally. Phasma, still with a look of shock, bowed and left them to join everyone else outside.

"Kid's got balls, dragging those out of storage and bringing them here." Han muttered once they were alone. Unfortunately, Leia couldn't help but to agree.  _ What was their son up to _ ?

\----------------------------------------------------------

_ The celebration of the Goddess Kore _

  
  


Rose Tico was not much for parties. She supposed that she and Rey could now say that they had that in common. Rose watched as Rey kept fending off advances from multiple immortals, in particular  _ male _ immortals, and tried not to sigh over how bored she was.

As Rose watched one of her only friends grow flustered and skittered around a persistent amorous satyr, Rose's sister Paige plopped on the ground next to her.

"Poor thing." Paige said sympathetically, and they both chuckled over the satyr tripping over himself trying to flee from Rey-whom they had noticed had grown very irritated and snapped at a remark the satyr had been stupid enough to make.

"Having fun?" Rose asked her sister, trying to sound upbeat as she knew her sister enjoyed a good party. Paige nodded happily and began gesturing to all of the people she had met and began to rattle off names and titles of each. Rose's head spun at all of the information being given until Paige pointed out a god that made Rose's heart stutter.

He was  _ beautiful _ . Rose knew that they were not supposed to say that about males, but she felt she could be forgiven as he was a vision of masculinity that made her heart pound. 

"Who's that?" She blurted, interrupting Paige. Paige looked to where Rose was gesturing and she lit up with glee.

"That's Finn. You may have heard of him as Ares...the God of War." She gushed. Rose felt her heart sink, and wanted to crawl back into her mountain and curl up under the blanket Rey had woven her.

She had heard many stories about Ares, especially how many wars the god liked to encourage among the mortals. She had so many try to break her door down with their heavy pounding and pleading.

"Hephaestus!" They would cry, "Lord Hephaestus, we need weapons!" Rose never answered them, and it had nothing to do with them believing the goddess of the forge was a man, and everything to do with her hating violence.

She loved to create and invent things that would  _ better _ life, not destroy it. With a heavy heart, and a sad smile on her face, she leaned forward to kiss her sister on the cheek.

"Ree?" Paige asked, seeing her change in mood. 

"Lots to do, P. See you soon?" Rose asked with a soft smile. Eyeing her carefully, Paige nodded and stood with her.

"Let me say goodbye and we can go home." Paige smiled. Rose widened her eyes and shook her head quickly.

"No, no! You don't have to leave. Stay! Have fun!" Rose encouraged her. Paige pursed her lips and laughed, shaking her head.

"How will it be fun if my favorite person won't be here to enjoy it with me?" She asked. Rose had never felt more grateful to her, and hugged her tightly.

"Mind if I cut in?" Rey asked. The sisters parted and Rose flung her arms around her friend.

"We are SO proud of you!" She told her. Paige came around and enveloped Rey in her arms from behind so that Rey was between the sisters.

"Very proud." Paige agreed.

"I'm just glad it is over." Rey confessed. The sisters nodded in understanding. They felt Rey tense, and both withdrew to see what was the matter.

"It's HER." Rey said in awe. Turning to look, Rose nearly laughed at the woman Rey was indicating. Rey had had somewhat of a platonic crush on the Lady Hecate for  _ years _ , and Rose didn't blame her. She was pretty amazing, and Rose knew Rey was dying to meet her.

"Go talk to her." Paige encouraged. Rey flicked a panicked glance at Rose and she nodded and smiled brightly. "We would stay and help, but I am extremely tired from my duties lately, and Rose was going to help me get home." 

"You're leaving?" Rey asked them mournfully. The sisters nodded. "Well...crap. Wish me luck, and if I make a complete fool of myself, I expect safe haven for me to pout." 

"It will be fine. You can do this." Rose said, hugging her tightly once more before reaching for Paige's hand. Grasping it, the two disappeared in a cloud of dainty rose petals-Paige's doing.

Neither sister was there to notice Rey begin to make her way to Phasma...only to turn and hurry away in the opposite direction, muttering to herself and wringing her hands. Nobody noticed as she slipped away from the party towards a secluded corner...

\------------------------------------------------------------

  
  


"Poe." Finn called, grabbing his attention from some pretty nymph. Poe came over to him and grinned brightly.

"Why yes, best friend of mine?" Poe asked cheekily. Finn scowled at him and held out a petal from the ground that he had picked up after seeing the two goddesses vanish.

"Who was that with Paige? I've...I've never seen her before." He said, thinking of the lovely goddess who had seemed...lonely. He knew what it was to be lonely, and had wanted more than anything to approach her and speak to her. He wished he could be more like Poe...more outgoing and confident.

"That was Paige's sister. Rose. Quite a little spitfire...why Finn, you dog. Is someone interested?" Finn looked away, hoping the night and his dark skin would keep Poe from seeing his blush. Poe nudged him and smiled.

"I was just curious." Finn attempted to lie. Poe scoffed and gave him a look. Finn caved after a few moments. "She was very lovely." He admitted. Poe whooped and called for Kaydel to come join them.

She did, eyebrow cocked and hand on hip. "What are you plotting now, brother?" She asked with a world-weary sigh.

"Why the most noble of pursuits, dearest sister." He grinned. 

"And what's that?"

"Why….getting Finn laid, of course!" Finn choked on air and wished desperately he had never even bothered asking Poe about Rose in the first place.

As the two siblings bickered, he studied the Rose petals littering the grass and he smiled to himself.  _ Rose _ . He hoped that he would be able to get a chance to meet her again...and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it was alright! Make sure to check out the next chapter...which I will be posting immediately after this one, but with AO3 doing stuff, who knows. Anyhoo, thanks for reading!


	6. Can You Feel It Coming In The Air Tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's meeting of Kylo from her POV...and what follows after...dun dun duuuuuun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is "In the Air Tonight" By Natalie Taylor  
> (Every song is from my extremely long Spotify playlist. Sometimes the song matches the chapter, other times just a scene. Sometimes just a random line is what I want. Regardless, I have what I consider decent taste in music. So if you ever want to listen to something new, check those bad boys out!

Rey liked to believe that she was the type of goddess who could face her problems without needing to bother her friends, but at the moment she was really wishing Rose and Paige had not left her so soon. She was currently trying to find a dark corner of Olympus to hide in until she was able to muster up enough courage to go speak to Lady Phasma.

"Okay. _Okay_. All you have to do is go up and just say 'Hello' to her. It isn't like she is the kind of goddess that will bite my head off. Oh dear gods, I hope she isn't the type of goddess to bite my head off." She muttered.

She suddenly felt herself trip over what felt like a person's leg, and began to fall...until she felt someone's arms reach out to steady her. The alarming thing was-she could not see anyone before her. 

"How is this possible? Who's there?" She demanded, twisting her head around to search for the person. She stretched out her hand, feeling foolish as she groped nothing but air. She began to question her sanity and wondered if all the excitement of the day and her anxiety over trying to meet Phasma had caused her to hallucinate.

"My apologies." A male voice finally answered, and she felt relief that she had not imagined things.

"So there _is_ someone there!" She exclaimed triumphantly. 

"Yes." His voice admitted quietly. She plopped down on the ground, facing where she heard the sound of his voice come from.

"Why can't I see you?" She asked inquisitively. She heard what must be him shifting slightly and her eyes narrowed on the sound, struggling to see anything of his person.

"I suppose because I do not wish to be seen." He answered, and she sympathized-she had come here for a similar reason, after all.

"Is that why you are out here alone?" She asked quietly, playing a bit with the hem of her dress. 

"Why are _you_ out here alone?" He asked after a moment. She was unwilling to let him avoid her question-perhaps it would help her understand how he was able to be invisible. She hated not knowing things.

"I believe I asked you first."

"Well...I'm not the one tripping over anyone." He pointed out, and she flushed. How _rude_ of him.

"It's not my fault! You're invisible!" She fussed crossly. He was silent for a moment and she could practically _feel_ his amusement.

"I don't like crowds." He blurted out. She softened at his admittance.

"I'm not overly fond of them myself." She told him. "Not really used to them."

"So you ran off to hide from the party too?" He asked.

"Well….not exactly. See, there is someone here and I have been dying to meet her cause she is a hero of mine but I can't bring myself to do it because I am too much of a bloody chicken to do so." She explained in a rush. "Now...your turn."

"My turn? I believe I already answered."

"Well...yes. But not the whole truth. So why are you really out here all by yourself?"

"I...I came here today hoping to find someone. But...I am unsure if I have." He fell silent, and she wondered if he was thinking of this mysterious person.

"What a pair we make." She sighed. He huffed in agreement.

"Who was it you were wishing to speak to?" He asked after a moment's silence. She tilted her head up towards the sky, wondering if he would laugh at her if she admitted it. She decided to risk it.

"Only one of the most intriguing goddesses here. Her title is Hecate...but I have been told she goes by Phasma." She told him. "She seems like such a badass."

"Phas would be pleased you think so." She heard him say. She swung her head to look in his direction and felt her face twist in horror.

"Oh gods. You know Phasma? And you let me dither on about her in front of you!? Oh gods!" She exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. She felt him grab one of her hands and it was enfolded within his own.

He had nice hands-they were larger than hers, and covered in calluses. Possibly from a blade, maybe? She remembered when she first began practicing that certain calluses formed on the hands, and his hands certainly had them where one would expect.

She clapped her other hand over her eyes and huffed, but she didn't take her hand away from his. She knew this would be an excellent opportunity to reach out with her abilities to discover more about him, perhaps find out which immortal being he was. But...she liked not knowing. She sensed that he wouldn't hurt her, and until that changed, she was fine with how their interaction was going.

"Ohhhh can the ground just swallow me?" She groaned dramatically. He was silent, and she wondered if something was wrong-had she said something to offend him?

"You should be careful what you wish for." He choked out after a moment.

"You sound like my Uncle." She truly hoped that this god wasn't Dinny in disguise, or someone sent by him. She didn't think she could handle the embarrassment, or the lecture of sitting in a random corner with an unknown and unseen man.

"Oh?" She was beginning to worry about him-he sounded as if he was uncomfortable. She wondered why...

"He is the kind of man to break out random little sayings like 'If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride!'.....I suppose you both are right though." She admitted. "I mean, I get the whole point of this shindig is to _honor_ me or whatever, but I would probably end up swallowing my tongue and stammering like a fool in front of Phasma if I were to actually try and speak with her."

"You're Kore?" He bit out. She thought he sounded a bit nervous and she tried not to panic. There were a lot of people at the ceremony-she was sure there were some who had not gotten a good look at her, so surely it made a bit of sense for him not to know her on sight.

"Ugh. I hate that stupid name. My Uncle gave it to me as a joke, and swore he would never tell anyone about it. He got drunk ONE time with King Han and let it slip and within a day _everyone_ knew." She said frustratedly. 

"So now people know you as Kore….what's your real name then?" He asked. She looked where she thought his face might be in surprise.

"Nobody has asked me that yet because they all assume Kore is." She whispered. "But...it's Rey. My name is Rey."

"I'm Kylo." He offered. She tried to rack her brain to see if she remembered any minor gods or other beings with that name. She couldn't, but something told her he wasn't lying to her.

"Pleased to meet you...such as it is." She grinned, using the hand still held within his and squeezing firmly. He murmured an agreement and they both sat still for a few moments. They could hear the celebration in the distance, but both felt comfortable where they were. Eventually she sighed.

"I should go…" She told him glumly. She wished she could stay for a bit, as she had found his company to be very nice. 

"Wait!" He halted her. She was confused. Was something wrong? "I have a gift for you."

"What is it?" She asked inquisitively. He paused.

"I am unsure if I should give it to you." He began, "Lord Hades entrusted it to me to give to the fearless little goddess that Maz had raised." 

So he worked for Lord Hades? Then he must be one of his servants, or a god that resided in the Underworld. She felt better for not knowing him-she had very little knowledge of the immortals that lived there...with the exception of Phasma, of course.

"And now that you know she is a bit of a coward you plan on keeping it for yourself?" She asked ruefully. He chuckled at her.

"No, little goddess." He purred darkly. "I wish to make a bargain with you." A part of her perked up and she felt a stir of…. _something_ ...at the dark promise in his words. She began to feel very warm- _was it this warm before?_

"And...and what would that be?" She asked, almost stunned at how breathless she sounded. What was happening to her? She felt him clasp her other hand and he nudged her up gently, causing her to rise up and stand with him.

"This is for you." He said, and she heard a rustling sound. He pressed what felt like cloth into her hand, and as soon as his hands fell away, her gift came into view. She withdrew the cloth and began to choke.

"Is this a KYBER crystal?" She demanded breathlessly. 

"Mmhmm." _How in Holy Olympus could he sound so nonchalant about it?_

"Lord Hades is giving me THIS?" She wanted to faint.

"Well technically, I am giving it to you." Now she wanted to smack him a bit for being cheeky.

"You know what I meant!" She stuttered out. "I thought that these had all been destroyed...that there were none left after the war."

"Hades took them and sealed them away from the world. They were no longer needed. But the ones you speak of are the crystals that were forged into becoming the Light Sabers."

"Is this not such a crystal?" She inquired, studying it intently.

"No. That is the last crystal that was mined before the mines were closed to replenish. It has great power, as it was blessed by the Earth Mother herself. You could do much with it, especially as you are so in-tune with the Earth."

Sweet Earth Mother. A gift beyond gifts, this crystal was...it was a _miracle_. She felt herself breathing heavily and she started to shake.

"I am not worthy of such a generous gift. Please...please return it to him." She begged him, offering the crystal back.

"Lord Hades retrieved this himself for you. He must have believed you would do great things with it." As he spoke, he wrapped his hands around hers, and they held the crystal together. "Please keep it." He begged her softly.

She felt so bewildered. What made her so special that Lord Hades would gift her such a precious treasure? She felt so awkward.

"You said you wished to make a bargain...for the crystal." She looked down at her hands.

"Go to Phasma. Speak to her, and you will have earned it a thousand times over." He pulled away, breaking contact with her.

"Seems an unfair trade." What did he truly want?

"I agree entirely." That surprised her a bit.

"You do?"

"Indeed. Phasma is very lucky to have your admiration."

"That's...that isn't what I meant." She huffed lightly. She nearly jerked as he reached out and caressed her face gently with his gloved hand, cupping her cheek while tenderly tracing her skin. It felt…. _nice_.

"I know." He whispered.

"Kylo…" she exhaled, closing her eyes.

"Yes?" He breathed. She struggled for what to say-how could she put into words what she wanted, when she had _no idea_ what that was? He called to _something_ in her, and she wanted _so desperately_ to understand.

" _Please…_ " She begged softly, hoping he would understand what she _wanted..._ what she _needed_.

She felt his mouth crush itself to her own. He kissed her as if he was a man drowning and she was the only source of water in sight. His passion and desire made her feel positively _wanton_...and she was glad she was not alone in feeling whatever this was between them.

She moaned, clutching at him with her hands, the crystal forgotten in her fingers. He finally withdrew from her, and she panted for air she didn't know she had needed until that moment.

She had no idea what had come over her-acting this way with a man she couldn't even _see_ , and within shouting distance of a party full of people that were there to celebrate _her_.

"I…" She began.

"Shh….it's okay. I feel it too." He murmured, and she wanted to laugh until everything made sense again. 

"I...I have to go." She forced out, pulling away from him. A sharp inhale was his reply, as if he wanted to speak but thought better of it. She began to make her way back to the party, the crystal and cloth firmly in her hands.

She stopped and glanced back at where she believed him to be. She reached out with her power to try and feel him, and nearly frowned at how he seemed hidden from her in even that way.

"Goodbye, Kylo….and please give Lord Hades my thanks for his gift. I will cherish it." Fighting against the urge to turn around and continue what they had been doing, she flitted away, unknowing of her unseen follower.

Seeing all of the people, many still in boisterous spirits and acting as if the night were still young made Rey feel off-kilter. It felt like everything had changed within the short span of time she had spent with Kylo, and she was unsure how to process everything. She suddenly just wanted to go home, and be away from all the noise.

"Hi, Rey!" A perky voice chirped. Rey startled and looked up to see BeeBee, the Lady Hermes. A dainty woman, but full of light and joy. Rey normally loved spending time with Bee, as she would tell Rey stories of all her travels.

"Bee, I need a favor." Rey blurted, hiding the crystal in the cloth and glancing around at the other immortals.

"Anything for you, Rey! Whatchya need?" Bee asked, blowing a wisp of bright orange hair from her eyes.

"If anyone looks for me, can you tell them I went home? I'm not...I don't feel very well. Too much of a good thing, ya know?" She shrugged nervously. "And please tell Maz for me." She added as an afterthought.

"Of course, of course. Whatever you need! Need me to give you a ride back? It's been a bit since we went flying together!" Bee seemed so excited and Rey hated to refuse, but she really wanted to go home. 

"Next time, I promise." She told her. Bee nodded and embraced her quickly before darting away to go find Maz. With the crystal still firmly in her hands, Rey disappeared, leaving daisy petals where she had stood.

The petals were lifted up by an unseen glove and carressed softly, before being taken through shadows as a means to follow after their creator.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Rey felt much better after sleeping in the gardens. She didn't do it often, as she hated the thought of hurting any of the plants, but she couldn't help herself sometimes. It felt comforting to lie among the flowers and rest beneath the stars.

She still didn't know what she wanted to do with the crystal though. She turned it over in her hands and sighed. Getting up, she went inside the tree she and Maz called home and climbed the staircase to her room. She changed quickly out of her dress and into more practical attire so she could tend to her chores.

She tucked the crystal into her belt, being careful not to slice herself on its edge. She darted outside and went over to the goat enclosure. They brayed their greetings and she laughed as she spent time with each of them before stepping out. 

She sniffed herself quickly and sighed. She would need to change and bathe later before Maz returned. She cast a quick glance at the sky and saw that it was well past noon. She furrowed her brow, wondering what shenanigans Maz had gotten herself into.

_She and Lando probably had another drinking contest_ . Rey thought to herself. _Poor Lando...Maz drinks him under the table every time._ She laughed at a memory of them doing just that a few years ago, and Lando pouting when Rey had cheered for Maz.

Rey went back inside and gathered a change of clothes before making her way to the bathing pool. She skipped lightly over the rocks and practically moaned over how good the warmth felt when she had made it and submerged herself.

She soaked for a while, ignoring the pile of dirty clothes she had stripped and tossed aside. She knew she would need to wash them, but she was too busy playing with the crystal again.

It felt…. _familiar_ to her somehow. Like it was always meant to be for her. She set it down gently by the side of the pool and got out, shaking off and reaching for a towel to dry herself.

She left the dirty clothes where they were-she would wash them later with the rest of the laundry. She let her hair hang loose to dry faster, and she made her way back outside, being careful to return Rose's invention to its hiding spot for the next time it would be needed.

Lost in thought, she wandered back into the garden before her senses came alive and she felt... _danger_ . _Something was there_ . _Something that wasn't supposed to be._

She held out the crystal as if it were a sword and called out sharply, "Who's there?" She turned, and came face to face with a menacing masked figure in dark robes. 

Fear poured into her, tinging the crystal red. She had not noticed, but the figure certainly did. He stepped towards her with his hand outstretched and she stumbled back.

"I won't hurt you." His voice was distorted and raspy from the helmet he wore. She felt rage that such a creature dared to come into sacred lands and try and terrorize her in her own home.

"Leave." She snapped, trying not to panic. How had he gotten in? Their lands were enchanted so that none but those they invited could come in. It kept mortals and unwanted company from disturbing them- _So How Did He Get In_?

"Goddess." He called to her, stepping closer. She panicked and she felt her power flow into the crystal. It blasted out from the crystal, aimed towards the masked man. Faster than thought, he whipped out a saber and it ignited a pure, pulsing red. He swung and the blast was directed up and away from them both.

She gasped in horror as her mind raced with the implications of who this was. "Hades." She choked. His head raised and she felt him watching her through his mask. The Light Saber flickered and cast an unholy hue over his black ensemble. Rey was terrified in a way that she hadn't felt in years.

"Come with me." He beckoned. She shook her head wildly and brandished the crystal again. Power flowed again and shot from the tip, only to be deflected by his saber again. She began to flee, only turning back to fire at him again and again. But he swiftly followed, swatting the blasts away and pursuing her relentlessly.

She just had to make it to the fields outside their lands. Travel from their home wasn't possible-another safeguard placed on their home for protection. Rey began to sob as she ran, wishing for the first time that her home wasn't so protected. 

She could have already been to Olympus and safe by now. What did Hades want from her? Was this about the crystal? Was this all a trick, a trap? 

Tears blinded her and she nearly stumbled. She shot a look over her shoulder and saw that he had gained on her. He wasn't too far away now. She looked back around and felt a burst of triumph- _she could see the fields_!

She tore through the last of the trees and blew past some of the flowers. As soon as she had stepped far enough, she began to disappear...only to find herself frozen. _She couldn't move_.

She felt herself being turned around by a power that made her tremble in fear. Hades' hand was outstretched, holding her in place.

The crystal pulsed in her hand and she tried so hard to get it to work again, but she felt exhausted. She had expelled so much of her energy already through it and by running as far as she had.

He stalked towards her, one hand holding her prisoner, the other storing his blade away. He came mere inches from her, and she shivered at the darkness she felt roll off of him in waves. He was a hunter, and she was nothing more than prey.

"You're more powerful than you know." He rasped. She strained to get away from him, using every ounce of her remaining strength...and all for nothing. "I won't hurt you." He said, walking around and studying her. He freed the crystal from her grasp and tucked it between his robes.

"Let. Me. Go." She choked. His fingers extended and caressed her hair, both watching it flow through his fingers.

"I can't." He sounded almost regretful...

" _Why_?"

"Because... _I need you_." And with that, a wave of dark power flowed through her, and a dark murmur of "Sleep, goddess" reached her ears before Rey felt herself go limp and she slipped into darkness. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Kylo's mind was reeling. He had never felt such raw power before. Rey was strong...stronger than she knew. He felt a slight twinge of remorse as he beheld her in his arms. 

Even in sleep she was stunning. He brushed her cheek and wiped away the few remaining tears that clung to her skin. He hadn't meant to upset her. He was going to remove his Helm and try and speak with her, try and explain why he had followed her.

He had spent the remainder of the night and the beginning of the day imagining how he would approach her. He had watched over her as she slumbered among the flowers beneath the moonlight, and he found himself unable to look away or leave.

Even once she had woken up and began to move about her daily routine, he was unable to speak to her. How could he begin? He had absolutely no idea what to say, and was aware that she would not take his intrusion on her sacred place well. 

He kept himself deeply shadowed and cloaked, afraid that even a hint of his power would be detected by the protections he felt within her lands. He would have kept himself hidden, and probably would have left without speaking to her, if only she hadn't gone to bathe.

He did not follow her to her bath-he was not that much of a lech-but he did spend the time she was otherwise occupied by exploring the place she called home. If it had been anyone else, he would have been incredibly bitter over how peaceful and happy the place was compared to the Underworld. But it was Rey, and he was glad she had spent her life in a place that suited her so well.

He was mulling over the daisy petals he held within his hand when he felt her return. He quickly stuffed them inside his pocket and turned to her, resolving to silently say goodbye and leave before his presence was noticed….or Maz suddenly came home.

But then he _saw_ her...and that was when everything had turned sour. She was in clothing similar to what she had worn before, but her hair was down and wet and she looked pink from what he assumed was the water and _gods_ , he wanted her. Lust overcame him and he was shocked when she froze before calling out, demanding to know who was there.

It shouldn't have been _possible_ for her to sense him. And then when the crystal had reacted as strongly as it had to her, and her emotions, he knew there was more to Rey than what he first believed. When she had managed to direct energy through the crystal and attack him, that confirmed it.

So, he….chased her. He hated himself for every tear she shed, every terrified moment she felt...but he knew that she wouldn't come with him willingly. What he had told her was true...he _did_ need her. But what was more important, and what he would need to convince her of, was that she needed _him_ too.

And as she lay sleeping in his bed-a sight that caused him no small amount of pleasure-he knew that he would need to do everything in his power to persuade her to stay with him. At least until he got answers, and solved the mystery this little goddess presented him. 

Thankfully, according to their conversation on Olympus, he had quite the ace up his sleeve in terms of something that Rey wanted. He smiled as he rose and departed in search of Phasma. He had plans to make, and a potentially wrathful goddess to appease...and what better way to do that then to introduce her to the one person she most wanted to meet?

He stopped in front of her door and knocked loudly until she shoved the door open with a bottle of booze in her hand.

"Phas, I need a favor." 

She responded by groaning and tipping the bottle back until she had consumed every last drop. She thrust it at him and pushed him away.

  
"I want more of those...many, _many_ more. And a _complete_ explanation." He nodded and she shooed him away, calling after his retreating back, " _Many_ , _many_ _more_ , Kylo! I have a feeling I will need to be _plastered_ for this conversation." He sighed. They both would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! More words! So...I have PLANS for these people. So many characters, and SO MUCH to potentially write. I do not promise to update regularly as I do not wish to be a liar. This is my first major fic I am posting on here, and already it is longer than I ever dreamed.
> 
> So, for the people that have posted comments: THANK YOU. I appreciate them and have read them all. I do apologize for not responding...the only time I really log into my account is to post my chapters. I was always more of a reader than a writer, and I have SO MANY fics I have been catching up on. (Also Webtoon Comics. OMG LORE OLYMPUS AM I RIGHT?) So, if you comment and haven't received an answer...it isn't because I am blatently ignoring you. I just don't log into my account very often. But for y'all, I will try and do better!


	7. Just Find the Way Out When It's Do or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I Suck at these so...stuff happens. Plot. Sexy character. Key scene similar to the movie. Rey being Rey. Kylo being Kylo. (Shrug) <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to Post this like last week, but was still tweaking it a bit. Sorry for the wait!
> 
> Song from "No Rest for the Wicked" by Klergy
> 
> Chapter Warning Notes:  
> Slight Violence in this one between Rey and my OFC, and Rey and Kylo. If that triggers you, please avoid this chapter.
> 
> Should I put a disclaimer in here that this is fanfiction and any scenes that correspond to the movie are not mine but from the movie? I would hate to get in trouble for that, so if you could comment and let me know, I would appreciate it!

Rey was alone when she woke. She stretched and felt a weight on her move. Opening her eyes, she glanced downward and saw that she was covered in a large black cloak. Something about it was familiar…

She lifted it up to further inspect it and was hit with a heavy scent that made her heart race. It was undeniably masculine, and it smelled  _ amazing _ -spicy and smoky with something that just marked itself as  _ man _ to her. She wondered where Maz had gotten it from. She raised her head further and opened her mouth to call out for her mother when she stilled.  _ She was not in her bedroom _ .

Everything came flooding back to her with that realization-Olympus, meeting Kylo, the crystal, home…. _ Hades _ . She flung the cloak to the side, disgusted that she would consider anything related to that monster as amazing.

A noise near the bed drew her attention and she nearly shrieked at the female who was lounging in a chair, watching her.

The woman looked like a demon-completely red with black markings and horns that protruded from her forehead. It did not help that the candles lit sparsely throughout the room cast her in flickering shadows, lending to her hellish aura. 

She was clad scantily and made Rey blush at how immodestly the woman was dressed. Black leather clung like a second skin, providing minimal covering to her breasts and her lower regions-leaving her midriff completely bare.

"Finally awake?" She purred, lounging in the chair; following Rey with hooded eyes and a wicked grin. The woman flicked her eyes up and down Rey's body, seeming to undress Rey with her eyes. Rey grew incredibly warm, and hoped she wasn't completely red from all the attention.

"Who are you?" She asked, trying to subtly feel in Hades' cloak for a weapon. The woman stood in a fluid motion and stalked to the bed. Leaning down she jerked the cloak aside and flung it on the chair she had been sitting on.

She reclined on the bed and gave Rey a satisfied catlike grin. "I'm Melantha. But  _ you...you _ can call me Mel." She produced a dagger out of who-knows-where and began toying with it...eyes never leaving Rey.

"I'm Rey." She offered, keeping one eye on the knife. Mel grinned lazily and stretched. Rey looked away, trying not to blush at Mel's muscles contracting and her breasts heaving. (Especially since it caused said breasts to strain against the leather and led Rey to wonder if, with enough strain, they would pop free from their confines.)

"Absolutely precious." She smirked, leaning forward and caressing Rey with a darkened fingertip. "I know who you are sweetling...everyone down here is talking about you." She leaned in and inhaled slowly. "I just...wanted to see what all the fuss is about. Master has never done anything like this before...it has caused quite the uproar."

Rey's mind swirled. Master? Did she mean Hades? And done what exactly? Did she mean kidnap her? Rey was annoyed at herself for being unable to say  _ anything _ , but Mel was throwing her for a loop. The woman was sex incarnate; a temptress wrapped in leather and sinful danger,and made Rey dizzy.

"Do you...you mean Hades?" She forced out. Mel nodded and inched closer. "Please stop that." Rey choked when Mel was a breath away. Mel tilted her head and blinked.

"Oh. A blushing virgin." She murmured gleefully. "Those are my  _ favorites _ . Shame my brother couldn't be here to meet you. Maul loves seeing how far we can make the blush go." She sighed blissfully before she withdrew. Her face darkened a bit and she pouted. "I wish he was home. Our lover keeps him away, all to himself. Naughty boy. I should punish him when it's my turn."

"Your turn?" Rey was so confused. Was Mel admitting that she and her brother had a relationship together? Or that they had a partner that they shared?

"We have a….pet. A beautiful boy that we get to play with. You see...we are supposed to torture him….and we do. Just...not the way everyone believes." She suddenly lunged at Rey and slammed her back into the bed. She held the knife under her throat, the blade pressed against her skin.

"Don't!" Rey begged. 

"No one can know! No one must know!" Mel hissed. Rey gazed into her eyes and saw what she believed to be fear. She lifted her hand up to Mel's clutching the dagger and held it gently.

"I won't tell. I promise." She breathed. Mel cocked her head, face a frozen mask. Rey could hardly move beneath her piercing, golden eyes that held Rey's own. Those eyes reeling her in, making Rey feel as if she was beckoning secrets from Rey's soul. After a moment something in Mel's eyes eased, and Rey sucked in a much-needed breath. Mel slowly drew the blade away from Rey's throat and blinked.

"Fascinating." She exhaled. "Such a pure soul. I believe you, sweetling." She shifted away until she sat next to Rey instead of on her. "Our lover would like you." She said after a moment.

"Oh?"

"Mmm...yes. You are so...good. But there is a potential for darkness too. You are untouched in many ways...but sullied in others, aren't you sweetling?" Rey looked away, her eyes stinging. Mel's hand came and turned her face back until their eyes met.

She seemed mesmerized by something within Rey, and Rey could see a hint of what one might think of as compassion in Mel's eyes.

"I am glad they didn't break you, sweetling. Don't let us break you, either." She pressed her knife into Rey's hands, winking when Rey gasped lightly in astonishment. "My blade was forged to do damage, sweetling. Be mindful not to cut yourself."

"But...why?" Rey asked bewildered.

"I like you. And I want Maul to meet you. And…" She looked away for a moment, before glancing up at Rey through her lashes. "I have never had a friend before. I have Master...and Maul...and our lover. I do not spend much time with anyone else...except souls we punish."

"You punish souls?" Rey blurted. Mel grinned sharply.

"I am a Fury, sweetling. My brother and I both are, and we serve Lord Hades well." Rey felt faint. While she did not know much about the Underworld, she had heard mortals speak about their fear of the Furies. 

She wanted to flinch back in fear, but she saw Mel watch her closely. Rey realized Mel told her who she was to gauge how Rey would respond. Mel's face was inscrutable, but Rey thought back to what little she had seen of the demoness so far.

"Wait." She said, something clicking in her mind. A tale that Rey had heard from Lando...when he had spoken to her once about ancient beings and their places in the world. About those that had gone against the balance of the world, and who had been punished. A specific story about an immortal who had been exiled, only to be visited by creatures that punished him daily for his sins against the gods.

"Is your lover...Prometheus?" Mel shot a hand out and gripped Rey's throat, snarling at her. Rey brought the dagger up and thrust it under Mel's throat. Mel stilled, glaring deep into Rey's eyes.

"Smart as well, sweetling? Quite the match for my Master." She spat, flexing her hand around Rey's throat. A fission of fear raced down Rey's spine, but she did not flinch away.

"I heard a story." Rey rasped. Mel loosened her grip a hair and Rey sucked in a breath. "They say that Prometheus was sentenced to exile and that winged beasts visit him every day to torture him for his part in the war between the gods and titans."

Mel huffed and withdrew her hand, swiftly snatching the dagger away from Rey. She twirled it between her fingers before setting it on the bed beside them.

"We did torture him...in the beginning. He never screamed though. My brother and I gave him many reasons to, but he never broke. We admired that about him. We eventually began speaking to him...and one day...Maul and I didn't want to hurt him anymore." She recalled, lost in memories long past.

"But you still visit him?"

"One of us sees him every day. And every now and then he  _ does _ scream...but in pleasure. Maul and I keep score of who gets more out of him." She suddenly beamed. "I'm currently winning. He made such shrieks when I did this new thing with my tongue…" Rey clapped her hands over her ears.

Mel began laughing and tugged her hands away. "Blushing little virgin. Oh sweetling, I think I will keep you." 

"So...not kill me?" Rey asked, messaging her throat. Mel shook her head and stroked Rey's neck, healing the bruises she had placed upon her skin before entwining her hand with Rey's.

"You have a courageous spirit, sweetling. You are afraid, yet you do not try and run from me. You remind me of our lover." Rey's eyes widened. "Oh, don't be like that. I do not wish to seduce you...although  _ imagine _ how good we would be in bed together. I think friendship would be enough. I believe you would be a good friend to have."

"I have to tell you," Rey began faintly, "I can honestly say I have never had a friendship start like this." Mel laughed delightedly.

"Definitely a keeper." She purred before growing contemplative. "But I should tell you...Maul will want to meet you too. There is not much he and I do not share...I don't think we will start with you."

"Is he going to try and kill me too?" Rey asked resignedly. Mel shook her head.

"I will tell him about you. He may test you, but he won't harm you. You are ours now. We protect what is ours." She clasped Rey's hand and kissed the palm before letting go.

"I do have two more questions." Rey told her. 

"Ask me anything, sweetling."

"Where...where are we?" Mel snorted and tilted her head back.

"You don't mean 'where' as in 'which part of the castle', I'm guessing." She yawned, her tongue flicking out and caressing her lips.

"You know I don't." Rey breathed. 

"Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Underworld, sweetling." Mel said wryly. Rey's heart plummeted-escape would be next to impossible. She knew next to nothing about the Underworld-barely anyone did. All Rey knew was the snippets that she had heard from stories told by her fellow gods and the tales she had gleaned from the humans...and there was no telling how inaccurate  _ those _ were.

"You said two questions." Mel nudged her gently. Rey startled and nodded.

"Um... _ winged _ creatures?" She asked tentatively. Suddenly they were cocooned in large ebony and blood-red wings. One brushed against Rey and she reached out and stroked one. "It feels…"

"Leathery?" 

"Yes. Did I hurt you?" She jerked her hand away. The wings vanished as quickly as they appeared and Mel smiled.

"No, sweetling. They are very durable. Maul and I both have a pair, and we can vanish them with a thought. Did you like them?" Rey nodded speechlessly. "This pleases me. We are quite proud of our wings. Ask Maul about his when you meet him-he will like you very much for that."

"I will have to remember that...hey, Mel."

"Hmm?"

"I need your help."

"I know what you are about to ask, sweetling." Mel stood and went back to the chair. She grabbed the cloak from it and returned to Rey's side. "I cannot give you your freedom. Master will not like that, and I do not wish to risk Maul or our lover's safety." She draped the cloak back over Rey, before tucking the dagger in her hands.

"What are you doing?" Rey demanded.

"Master will return soon. Show him your strength, sweetling. Show him your courage...and if he doesn't respect you,  _ show him our blade _ ." She bent and kissed Rey's forehead before whispering into her hair.

Rey felt the room spin and grew dizzy.

"Wha...what?" She slurred.

"Master thinks you still sleep. And you need some rest after our tussle. Sleep, my sweetling. Dream  _ wicked _ dreams...I hope we see each other soon." With a wink, Mel disappeared...and Rey collapsed back into unconsciousness once more.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

She was unsure how long she had been asleep for when she opened her eyes again. She immediately noticed that the room was brighter than when Mel had visited her, so either someone had come in to light more candles or…

She nudged the cloak aside, keeping the dagger hidden underneath. A faint scuff caught her ear and she whipped her head around to see  _ him _ in the chair next to the bed.

He was all in black, from the mask he wore down to the boots on his feet. She could not see a glimpse of skin and found herself wondering what kind of monster he must be to hide himself away from the world like that.

"You're awake." His distorted voice sent a shiver down her spine.

"Where am I?" She demanded, keeping the knowledge that she knew she was in the Underworld to herself. She didn't want to betray Mel's confidence...especially since she would need all the allies she could find in this place.

"You're my guest." He answered. She gripped the knife firmly in her hand, and nudged it until it was hidden behind her back as she adjusted her body to face him.

"A guest is able to leave." She began. "Something tells me I will not have that option." He tilted his head down and clasped his hands together in his lap. 

"It's...complicated." He offered after a moment. 

"Complicated?" She cried indignantly. "You  _ kidnapped _ me from my  _ home _ ! I  _ demand _ to know  _ why _ ."

"It's...I…" He broke off, groaning. He rose and walked away, bringing back a cup and a pitcher of water. He set the pitcher on the desk beside what looked like a stand, and he filled the cup most of the way with the water.

He brought it over and held it out to her. She tensed and flinched back slightly.

"You're afraid of me. You were afraid then too." He sounded...almost hurt.

"That's what happens when you are being hunted by a  _ creature _ in a  _ mask _ !" She spat. He stood watching her, the only sounds in the room of them breathing. He seemed to come to a decision-he placed the cup on the desk and went to the stand. Removing the helmet, he placed it down and turned back to face her.

She wanted to scream in frustration-of  _ course _ he was the most handsome man she had ever met. He was pale, with dark black hair that nearly reached his shoulders. His eyes were like chocolate, such a deep and warm brown. His nose was slightly large for his face, but it worked for him-lending his appearance an aristocratic air.

But it was more than his looks-it was his expression. He gazed at her as if she was the only being in the world, and she didn't know how to handle that. She wanted more than anything to understand why this  _ man _ , this  _ god _ , would look at her in such a way. He  _ fascinated _ her, making her want to uncover the truth behind his attention.

She wanted to rage over how unfair it was that the first man she showed any interest in was completely invisible (and now that she thought of Kylo, she wondered where he was in this place...and if he could help her escape it); and that the second forced his way onto her lands and drove her out of them so that he could kidnap her and drag her to the Underworld.

He held out the water to her once more-she hadn't noticed he had come near her again. 

"Please drink." He implored gently. "You must be thirsty." She extended her hand to take the cup before she stopped. A tale she had heard whispered by the mortals tickled her memory...something about the food and drink down here...

"It isn't true, you know." He blurted suddenly. She looked at him confused. "Eating or drinking from the Underworld won't tie you to these lands...that is just something mortals came up with."

"How do I know you are telling me the truth?"

"You don't. But I am not lying. Mortals really twist our knowledge and history...because of them, most immortals who come here are reluctant to eat the food."

"So, if I drink this…" She trailed off.

"You will no longer be thirsty. Nothing more."

She could sense no falsehood from him, and she had to admit that she was feeling a bit parched. She took the cup and drank, finding herself draining the water quickly. He smiled before bringing her the pitcher to refill the glass.

"So, I am in the Underworld." She said, watching him closely. He had put the pitcher back and perched on the edge of the chair. At her words, he winced and nodded.

"Yes." There was something about him-his voice perhaps-that struck Rey as familiar. She studied him, trying to determine what it could be.

"I would like to go home now." She said quietly, a faint pleading in her voice.

"Not...not yet."

Suddenly it was too much for her. "Why not?" She shouted.

"Rey…" He rose, coming closer to her and she scrambled off the bed; the dagger clutched in her sweaty palm, hidden behind her back. "Rey, please." He soothed, his hands held out as if he were trying to tame a spooked animal. She supposed that was meant to be her, although the knowledge did little to placate her.

"Take me home. Now." She forced out, backing away from him and moving towards the door.

"You don't understand-"

"I don't care! Take me home….or let me leave! I will find my own way."

"Rey…" He went to grab her arm and she took advantage of his distraction. She swung and brought the dagger down across his face, in a sweeping arc that went from above his eyebrow to below his chin.

He cried out, staggering back and clutching at his face. Gold ichor, the blood of immortals, poured from the cut and Rey felt sick over all the blood he was losing. 

"I'm so sorry." She gasped, before she turned and forced the door open. She came face to face with servants dressed in white and they began screaming when they saw her with the blade and the golden blood dripping from it.

"Rey, stop!" She heard him call from the room. She began to run and pushed past the servants, ignoring their shrieks and panic. She raced down the hallway, struggling to find an exit.

She was not followed, but she knew that the knife she held would give anyone a clear path to her, as flecks of blood trailed behind her. She quickly wiped it off on her robes and discovered that the blade had been glowing a faint red, when before it had been silver. She wondered if there was any significance to that.

Voices began to echo in the halls, and Rey could hear them coming closer. She pushed on and found a door. With no other option, she shoved on it and rushed through to find herself outside.

At least, she imagined it to be outside. But if even a part of her didn't believe she was in the Underworld before….she certainly believed now.

*****************************************************

Armitage Hux was not having the best of days. He had spent all morning directing souls to the courts and overhearing petitions from souls that believed they deserved more in the afterlife than what they were scheduled to receive.

Normally, Hux wouldn't give a damn about any of them. He had his duties-collect and bring the souls to Charon. He liked what he did and he was  _ good _ at it. Anything involving the souls after that point didn't interest him.

So, to still be doing Kylo's duties for him the day after he was meant to be relieved of them...rankled a bit. He knew that he could irritate Kylo-and really, that was half the fun-most days. But he had not seen Lord Hades since he and Phas had left the day before for Olympus.

Not only that, but he had heard whispers and rumors circulating through the castle about a woman that had been seen being carried in Kylo's arms. 

Now, Hux would  _ never _ admit that he was a bit concerned over the pompous, prickly ass...but he was just a bit concerned over the pompous, prickly ass. He heard shouting coming from Kylo's chambers and found himself running towards the noise.

"Lord Thanatos!" One of the servants exclaimed upon seeing him. He glanced at her and did a double-take. The girl had golden blood smeared on her uniform. The others huddled around her were the same.

"Get the fuck off, Phas!" He heard Kylo bellow.

He took charge. "Go and clean yourselves. Take the rest of the day off." He said curtly. They nodded and bowed before rushing away, leaving him to approach the door and peek inside.

"Dear gods!" He muttered. "Your face!" Kylo looked positively terrifying with his face sliced up like that. Hux's spine stiffened at the thought of what kind of being could have possibly done something like that to  _ one _ of the most powerful, if not  _ the _ most powerful immortal in the Underworld.

"Hold still!" Phasma berated Kylo, who kept trying to brush her aside and rise off the chair. Phasma's hands were waving over his cut, drawing blood back into the wound. Hux watched in a mixture of disgust and awe as the remainder of the blood flowed back into the wound and the skin knit back together.

When Phasma took her hands away, all that remained of the incident was a scar that covered half of Kylo's face.

"What the hell happened?" Phasma snapped. Kylo leapt from the chair and began stalking towards the door. She held out her hand and he bounced off an invisible force of wall she had conjured.

"Phasma!" He groaned, clutching his nose.

"What. Happened." She glared. Hux was trying not to smirk at the groan of frustration Kylo gave.

"Rey is out there. Right  _ now _ . I need to go after her!"  _ Who is Rey? _

"She is the one that Kylo brought to the Underworld." Hux startled-he hadn't realized he spoke aloud. 

"The one everyone keeps talking about? I thought those were just rumors! What did you do?" He asked bewilderedly. Kylo huffed and brushed past him, going into the hallway. 

"You botched it, didn't you?" Phas demanded angrily, striding out behind him. 

"Yes, I fucking botched it!" He yelled back. 

"How did she even get a knife powerful enough to damage an immortal like that?" Hux swung his head and widened his eyes at Phasma.

"She did...all  _ that _ ...with a knife?" He screeched as he gestured wildly at Kylo's face. They both glared at him.

"It doesn't matter how she got it-" Kylo started.

"I'd say it fucking matters!" Phasma and Hux chimed together before eyeing each other incredulously.

"What  _ matters _ is that she was  _ scared _ . She didn't mean to hurt me! And now she is out there,  _ alone _ , and unknowing of the dangers here." He snapped. "Hux, search the castle. Phas, check Tartarus and the fields. I will go to Chewie and ask if he has seen her."

"Or we could just follow the blood from the hole made in your face to see if it leads us to her." Hux pointed out. Kylo, upon seeing what he meant, took off; Phasma and Hux following not far behind.

Hux nearly slammed into Phasma's back when they came to a halt. He looked around and saw no more blood on the floor.

"Clever one, isn't she?" He muttered. 

"Hux." Kylo growled lowly. Hux snapped to attention.

"I will check the castle." He took off, hoping quietly that he wouldn't be the one to find her, as he didn't relish the idea of having his face carved like a prized sow at a feast.

Phasma clasped Kylo's arm gently before she vanished as well. Alone, he pressed onward, hoping that he would find her...and quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank Facebook for giving me the idea to have Maul and his twin-I was originally debating just one Fury and whether it should be genderswapped or not...but I honestly could not decide.  
> The inspiration for Melantha is on Google Images (the first image you get if you search for "Female Darth Maul")
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I can't wait to continue on with their story. I have so many different things I want to write now, but I want to work one until it is done before I seriously pursue another...although that may change.
> 
> Please make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you think! I want the story to be good, and if there are things that are not...it would help to know! Thank you, and hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Hate Me, Break Me, Let Me Feel as Hurt as You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey sees a few things, and meets a few people. Kylo is not far behind, and races to catch up. New characters, plot, angst, oh my!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from "Hate Me" by Eurielle. This song is TOTALLY Reylo all over. Absolutely beautiful and haunting. You should definitely listen to it at least once.
> 
> More notes after the chapter! Enjoy, and thank you all for clicking on the story!

Rey gaped at the view before her. Everything was shrouded in shadows, broken only by the pale glow of tiny flames that flickered and danced without burning everything around them. 

She stepped away from the door and ventured away cautiously, dagger still held within numb fingers. The dirt was smooth beneath her sandals, and she was too absorbed to notice the grass that rose as a trail of where her path had been.

The Underworld was _vast_ -so spacious that Rey began to truly worry that she would not escape before she was caught by Hades. She could hear screams in the distance-the screams of the poor souls suffering for eternity. She had to get out of this wretched place!

She looked around and saw that she was surrounded by statues made of various materials. The garden of statuary, if it could be called as such, held various lanterns and posts that contained bright yellow flames that lit the entire place. Rey saw that the statue closest to her was made of marble-a woman so beautiful that Rey felt wholly inadequate in comparison. 

Whomever had crafted the statue was truly talented-Rey could almost believe that she was alive, so realistic the craftsmanship. Her hair was loose and flowing in delicate curls around an angelic face marred only by the tragedy etched in her eyes and features. Her arm was molded to be outstretched, pleadingly extended towards another statue a short distance away. 

Rey went closer, anxious to see what could make the woman appear so desperate, as if her heart had been shattered. The being she came upon had Rey freeze in horror before she gave a second look. What she had believed for a moment to be Hades was a figure immortalized in obsidian. He too, bore a helmet-although it was different from the one that Hades wore. 

This man, for Rey thought of him as such...even if she couldn't see his face...was turned from the pleading woman with fists clenched and a posture so rigid that it made Rey uneasy. The whole garden made her nervous-why were these two figures depicted in such a way? Who _were_ they, and more importantly-who were they to Hades?

She turned away from the pair; fleeing past the others, determined to see no more. She finally got past the last figurine and passed underneath an archway-the garden had been sectioned off by a wall she had not seen until she had been close enough to catch sight of it.

A pathway lay before her, roads leading in different directions and causing Rey to feel anxious. Which to take...which to take?

Faint silvery light caught her attention, and she stared as what could only be souls of the dead floated by her in groups, their expressions blank and serene. They continued on their silent journey and Rey hurried down the path that they had come from.

With heart lodged in her throat, it had gone unnoticed that she had come to a clearing-the desperation at escaping the palace had overshadowed simple awareness of pertinent surroundings. But the snarling she heard caused her to still, every internal organ freezing in terror. Directing her attention above, a scream began to build, clawing its way from chest to throat in a desperate bid to break free at the sight before her.

A massive beast with three heads, not unlike dogs, watched her with beady eyes and glistening fangs that dripped with saliva. It….they...had fur as black as pitch and bristling with every movement she made. The shades below the beast passed by without noticing, or caring, of the danger above. Perhaps they didn't know the creature that patrolled them. Perhaps, given they were dead, they simply did not believe the monster to be a threat. But Rey certainly did.

_Who….are…...you…._

She jolted as she felt the words imprint themselves upon her and seep into her brain. Eyes wild, she breathed shallowly as she made eye contact with the middle head. Something she believed to be a mistake and regretted immediately as they were a demonic red that flickered with hellfire.

_Who. Are. You_.

Where before the words had been inquisitive, now they were demanding, and caused Rey to bleat out her name quickly in reply.

_Why are you here, little goddess Rey?_

"I was taken from my home, and brought here against my will. I mean no harm. _Please_." Her voice cracked and she shook before the beast. The middle head cocked and lowered before it was inches from her. She struggled not to move, and felt the head breathe her in.

_Daisies_. 

The head sounded almost...nostalgic. It exhaled and enveloped Rey in a comforting heat that drove the chill away. She tucked the blade in her clothes, mindful not to cut herself. She held out her hands and several daisies appeared between her fingers.

"They are one of my favorite flowers." She told the head, offering them to it. It stared at the blooms for a moment before drawing back. The creature's whole body shuddered and Rey gasped as a being came into existence and broke away from the beast's body.

This figure still towered over Rey, and was covered from head to foot in brown, shaggy fur. Even it's face, when it approached her, was encompassed in hair.

_A lovely gift for me, little goddess Rey. Thank you._

It grinned toothily at her with sharp fangs, arms held out for the flowers. She passed them over numbly.

"How…?" She stammered, her eyes swinging back and forth between the beast with three heads and the furry giant before her.

_I am Cerberus, and Cerberus is me. You may call me Chewbacca if you wish when I am in this form._

"Cerberus? The creature that guards the Underworld. But how are you here and there?" She asked bewildered.

_We are connected. My main conscience is here with you, while enough is there in that body doing our duties. It is useful when I wish to leave my post for a while._

He stroked the daisies gently and watched as she processed the information given to her.

"May I call you Chewie?" She asked after a moment. He smiled and nodded his head, letting out a happy growl. "I need your help, Chewie." She said after a moment. He became serious and gestured for her to follow him. 

They passed under Cerberus, Rey struggling not to look up as they did so. Chewie led her to one of Cerberus's paws, offering her a seat. A shocked giggle slipped through clenched teeth and she wondered if this day could get any weirder.

She climbed upon the paw offered and felt amazed at how comfortable it was to rest there. She looked to Chewie in amazement and he nodded at her with a flash of fangs.

_I cannot help you to leave the Underworld_.

She clasped her hands together in her lap and exhaled shakily. "Why not?" She whispered.

_My job is to guard the denizens here. To keep them from leaving, and from unwanted visitors from entering. If Lord Hades brought you here, foolish as he went about it...he must have done so for a reason_. The voice in her head sounded apologetic, and she snorted.

"First Mel...now you." She said bitterly. Chewie cocked his head from the position he had taken up on the ground.

_Melantha? You have met?_ She nodded sullenly. _Is that where you got the toothpick from?_ She laughed at that.

"A toothpick!" She chuckled. "What damage a toothpick can do!" She bemoaned. She felt his gaze sharpen on her.

_What damage_? She looked away, ashamed.

"I hurt him." She admitted softly, curling into the paw slightly, drawing her fingers through the fur in search of comfort.

_Hurt who, little Rey?_ His voice was gentle in her mind, concerned.

"Lord Hades." She told him, pulling out the dagger and staring at it with vacant eyes. "I have used such weapons before in practice, but _never_ like this. I _hurt_ him...and what shames me to my core is that I _left_ him and ran."

_You hurt Ben?_ The voice had sharpened and Chewie quickly stood, still towering over her slightly.

"Ben?" She asked, confused.

_Name he was given as a cub. Changed it when he took on his title. You may know him as Kylo now._ Chewie told her distractedly, not paying attention as her eyes bulged and the knife slipped through her fingers.

It fell to the ground and Chewie looked up from patting his belt swung on his hips to see Rey's face twist and contort with multiple emotions before settling on rage.

"Kylo?" She gritted out. Chewie sighed and put his head in his hands.

_Oh, cub. What did you do?_ He lamented.

*****************************************************

Kylo burst through the doors leading to his garden of statuary. He looked wildly around, struggling to find any clue as to where Rey had gone. He stepped forward and his boot came upon something other than sand. Glancing down, his eyes widened at seeing green blades dancing in the breeze.

She had made _grass_ grow. Gods, how he was in awe of her. Life struggled to grow in a place filled with death, and she had done so merely by stepping on the ground. Her power was unparalleled, and it worried him that she was unaware of just how strong she was.

It was partly his fault, he knew-the Kyber crystal had reacted to her in a way he had never seen before. Giving it to her awoke something that she was not prepared for, and it was his responsibility to make sure that she could handle it. He ignored that this all started because of that dream of her, despite how thoroughly it had imprinted upon his brain….

He strode through the statuary, pausing before the figures of his grandparents. His grandmother forever reaching towards his grandfather, never to touch. Poetic in a way, especially given everything that had occurred between the two. He lifted a hand and stroked it down the effigy of his grandmother's face.

"We will not be you." He promised fervently, refusing to look at his grandfather. He withdrew his hand and swept away, following the trail Rey had left for him. He did not look back, and he didn't see the diamond that fell from the marble eyes, landing on the dirt and disappearing into the earth below.

He reached the archway, glancing left and right to see which way she could have gone. Seeing that it was right, he felt a surge of relief and he hurried on. If she had gone this way, then that meant that she was most likely with Chewbacca. His surrogate uncle would keep her safe until he could reach them.

At least, that is what he fervently believed until he came upon Chewie pacing back and forth angrily as Cerberus growled and snapped above him. His heart sank as Chewie swung his gaze to him, and it took everything within Kylo not to flinch as Chewie strode over to him and grabbed his jaw. Chewie inspected his face grimly, and traced the scar with a furry finger.

_She got you good, didn't she?_ Kylo nodded and cast his gaze around, hoping against hope that she was there. She wasn't. _You screwed up, pup. You should have told her who you really were._ At that, Kylo grew cold.

"What.." He cleared his throat, "What did she tell you?"

_A pretty little tale about a moonlit rendezvous at Olympus._ Chewie's voice was like ice as he glared at Kylo. He flushed and ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly.

"I have to find her. She's...she's dangerous."

_With the little toothpick she carried? The one she got from the female Fury?_

" _Melantha_ gave it to her?" Kylo bit out. He was going to have _words_ with the demoness after he had found Rey. Chewie nodded.

_She frightens you, pup. Why?_ Chewie asked him, watching as Kylo had begun to pace.

"Melantha doesn't frighten me." He scoffed.

_We both know I was not referring to her. What is it about this earth goddess that troubles you so?_

"I gave her a Kyber crystal as a presentation gift," he said, as he ignored Chewie's grunt of surprise, "and the _things_ she was able to do with it. I have _never_ felt that kind of power, uncle. To let her leave without understanding is foolish, and irresponsible. And she...she _means_ something to me. I had...a vision."

Chewie studied him for a few moments, trying to brush aside hearing "uncle" fall from the pup's mouth-a word he had not called him in eons. Chewie had seen Kylo from afar, watching over him as he had promised Han and Leia he would do. Until that moment, he had never seen the boy so...alive. This woman did mean something to him, and he saw no hint of malice in Kylo's eyes. Only worry, and fear for Rey.

_I tried stopping her, but she was deaf from rage._ Chewie pointed toward the path that led to Charon's ferry. _Your quarry went that way...although she was stomping more than she was fleeing._ Kyloe winced at that. _Quite a match for you, cub. She would make a good mate._ Kylo blushed and avoided Chewie's amused and knowing look.

"That's...that's not why she is here." He snapped, striding forward to follow the petals of flowers that now marked her path. They were beautiful-delicate blossoms that were a dark pink, almost red color. He racked his brain trying to come up with a name for them, and realized-petunias.

He followed the petals, shrugging off the _You forget pup, I already lived through it with your parents_ that drifted from Chewie before he disappeared around a bend and their connection broke, leaving him with nothing but his own thoughts and fears. _Rey_ ….

*****************************************************

Rey was _livid_ . But worse, she was humiliated-it should have occurred to her long before Chewie said anything that Kylo was Hades. She knew his voice sounded familiar-he had been whispering sweet nothings in her ear not long before AND he had the _gall_ to look at her with hurt when she didn't recognize him...when he had been invisible the entire meeting!

Was he so starved for affection that when she showed him a taste of something she had never partaken of herself, that he had to drag her down here to continue what they had begun? The part of her that felt pity for what must be such a lonely man withered when she thought back on their encounters with derision.

Dagger brandished before her, she raged down the path. Shades parted, allowing her to storm by unencumbered before reaching a stairway that led down to what appeared to be docks...and water. She could hear it lapping against the shore, and watched as souls departed a massive barge directed by a cloaked figure grasping an oar.

She flew down the stairs, rushing until she came upon Charon and his ferry.

"I need to go across the river." She spoke sternly, hoping that he would not question her. He turned to her, and she mentally gagged at the sight before her.

Charon was bound to his vessel, in thick black chains that rattled and creaked with each strain he gave against them. But it wasn't that he was as much a prisoner of this place as she was-it was his _body_ , what little was exposed for her view. 

His face was rotted and misshapen, eyes burning with hatred and pain as they rested upon her. He clutched his oar, and she saw one arm was completely skeletal, with rotten flesh still valiantly clinging to the bone. His other arm was normal, if such a word could be applied. But the skin was paper thin and leathery, and it looked as if it too was a moment away from sloshing off his bones.

"I require payment." His voice dripped from yellow teeth and crooked jaw. She shivered at how evil his presence was, at how much he frightened her. He grinned, pieces of skin stretching across his face, as if he knew how his presence affected her.

"I have nothing I can give." Rey stammered. He extended one bony hand towards the dagger, hissing as the chains made him draw up short.

"I would have that." He said, his eyes burning on her hand. She gulped at how greedy his gaze was on the knife, and something told her she shouldn't give it to him. 

"Now, you know you aren't supposed to have anything pointy, Snokey." A voice purred from the shadows. Rey slumped in relief. 

"Mel." She exhaled. Snoke drew up as much as he could in his bondage and glared at Melantha.

"Filth." He spat. She laughed lightly as she came up to Rey and entwined her in her arms, draping over her and locking eyes with Snoke.

"If I am filth, what does that make you?" Her breath tickled Rey's ear as she pried the dagger from her clenched fingers. "Oh, sweetling." She murmured lowly, "I didn't think you would actually use this!" She kissed Rey's cheek, flicking out her tongue to taste the skin.

Rey jumped and glared at Mel, reaching up to rub her cheek and trying not to pout as Mel laughed at her. "No." She told her, scrubbing the touch from her skin. Mel did pout then-rolling her eyes and breaking away from Rey.

"The girl was trying to pay the ferryman, wench. She wishes to cross." He crooked a finger at Rey, and she stepped towards him. Mel whipped a hand out and held Rey back.

"Making deals without Master's approval? Not very smart of you. What more can we take from you as punishment, I wonder?" She hissed, drawing a whip and cracking it suggestively.

Rey backed away from them, casting a look at the river to see if there was another way to cross. Unfortunately, there wasn't. But there was another path, and she made her way towards it. Mel and Snoke were still spitting insults at each other, no longer paying her any mind. Glancing back once more, she took off down the other trail.

The flowers she had grown unknowingly littered behind her. Some were even falling into the water, and bobbing gently in the waves.

*****************************************************

When Kylo came to the docks, Mel stood alone as she watched the ferry return across the river with narrowed eyes. Upon seeing him, she knelt at his feet.

"Master." She said, one hand clasped over her breast. 

"Melantha." He replied menacingly. She rose and watched him silently, eyes widening at his scarred face. He touched it lightly and scowled at her. "Admiring your handiwork?" He growled.

"I did not inflect that upon you." She told him, fingering the whip she had wrapped up against her belt.

"Where is she?" He cast his eyes to the ferry and panic filled him. "Is she….?" He waved at the boat. She shook her head.

"She went that way." She pointed at the path. "Master!" She called him back as he shot forward. He looked at her with an eyebrow cocked. "Snoke has seen her...and I would be wary of his attention on her."

Kylo raged inside at the thought of that snake showing any interest in Rey. He hardened his heart and drew every inch of his power to him. He spun and fixed Melantha with a fiery glare, and she straightened.

"When he returns, discourage him. Let him know what a mistake it would be to focus on her." She bowed with a feral glint in her eye. "And Melantha? Afterwards, report to me." 

"Yes, Master." She murmured, a few drops of sweat flowing down her neck in faint fear of the wrath in his eyes. He ran after the flowers scattered on the dirt path, determined to catch up to Rey.

*****************************************************

Rey followed the path, keeping one eye on the river for any narrow gaps, and one eye on the road before her. Fields of dirt were all she could see, and she pitied the people that were forced to live in a place like this. 

There was barely any light, but for the orbs she saw floating high above-they were not unlike the ones back home, so she assumed Rose had made them for Hades...Kylo...Ben? Different names for one man, and it drove her mad over trying to reconcile who he was in her mind.

So focused on inner thoughts and watching the river, she found herself plunging through a shade that was in the way. Breaking away swearing, she shuddered at how intensely cold it had grown. Looking around, the realization came that she had entered plains that felt neverending, packed with souls of the dead.

She stumbled back as they meandered around, noticing that none went to the river or past the part of the path she stood on. 

"What is this place?" She whispered in despair as she saw how vacant each soul was, how empty they seemed-a shell compared to the lives they surely lived before.

"The Fields of Asphodel." A voice whipped from behind her, and she froze as she realized who it was. Turning, she beheld the man before her.

"Lord Hades, or is it Kylo?" She spoke through numb lips, inching away from him and further along the path. He studied her desperately and she watched in confusion as tension seemed to flow from his body. _He had worried for her_. The thought was strange as it was confusing.

"I _know_ I have done this all wrong. I _know_ that. But _please_ , Rey. Please, _listen_. If you decide afterwards to leave, I will personally take you home." He held out a hand to her pleadingly. 

She had no idea what to do-should she take his hand and go with him to listen to whatever defense he wished to give? Or should she try and flee again, with no weapon and no knowledge of the place she was in? Thinking that, she realized there wasn't much choice at all. She sighed.

"I want the truth." She told him shakily. "All of it. No more lies. No more secrets." He nodded desperately in agreement. She placed her hand in his, feeling the leather of his gloves grip her tightly.

"Thank you." He murmured lowly. Unable to speak, she nodded. He pulled her slowly towards him and wrapped her in his arms. She tensed and he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Close your eyes, Rey. This may be a bit disorienting." She knew that it could be with other gods, especially ones that she was unfamiliar with.

Against her better judgement, she did, and he tightened his arms around her. She struggled in vain to pretend that it did not thrill a small part of her over how muscular he was, and she wanted to slap herself over such silly feelings.

A whoosh and a slight breeze and then he bid her to open her eyes. Doing so, she saw that they had returned to the bedroom...probably his own, now that she thought about it. 

Everything in her wanted desperately not to look at where she had cut him, but she glanced over anyway...to find no trace of blood on the floor. She turned back to him to find that he was sitting in a chair before the fireplace, watching her.

"Between Phasma and the servants, everything was cleaned up." He spoke, tracking her with his eyes as she sat in a chair across from him. She held her hands out to the flames and tried to draw their warmth into her chilled fingertips.

"I'm not sorry I did it." She lied, unwilling to meet his eyes in fear that he would see the truth there. He nodded silently and looked down at his hands.

"I am sorry I made you feel like you had to." He offered sadly. She glanced over to see his fingers trace over the scar lightly. Cursing her heart, she rose and stepped over to him. His eyes widened, but he made no move to stop her as she stepped between his legs and lifted her hand to his scar.

She closed her eyes and followed it lightly with her finger. Apart from a shudder from Kylo when she first touched him, he remained still as he watched her reverently. She recalled what she knew of healing from studies with Maz and Lando, and extended her power towards him through her fingertips to his face.

What she hadn't counted on, was Kylo sensing her and letting his own power meet hers. Her eyes snapped open and locked onto his as she felt her power entwine with his own. She could _feel_ him, and something within her knew that this _connection_ , this _moment_ , was _right_.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered. "I feel it too." She wanted to beg him to explain what it was, exactly, that they were feeling. "You're afraid." He told her, holding her hand on his face within his own. She nodded and watched his hand as it rubbed her fingers gently.

"You're afraid too." She whispered back, knowing that what she said was true. He nodded beneath their hands and his eyes darted around her face, memorizing every inch.

"Yes, Rey." He exhaled. She focused back on his scar, and sent more power into her fingers as she had seen that it was working-the scar was fading into unblemished skin.

A stray thought from him had her think back to the figures in the garden. He was dwelling on them-particularly the statue of obsidian. Something was bothering him-something was... _oh_.

"You're afraid you will be like him. You're afraid….you will one day become Lord Vader." She said dreamily in a faint voice. Alarmed, he slammed his eyes open and watched as she swayed before him.

" _Rey_." He gripped her hands, trying to draw her back from his mind. Their power flickered and danced between them, tugging and pulling and churning. Her eyes flared a bright gold before she collapsed in his arms, her hand slipping away from his healed face.

  
" _REY_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret nothing. So, Kylo is this total King and can be hella scary, but not with his Bae. With her, he is totally Ben, and I am trying to write him that way. Hope it is coming across that way.
> 
> New characters:  
> -Chewbacca (total Uncle Chewie and I always thought it sucked that he and Ben didn't have any good scenes together). I wanted him as Cerberus, but whenever he is Chewie I didn't want to risk there not being Cerberus to guard the Underworld, so I hope you like how I wrote it!  
> -Snoke. I hope that his scene wasn't too gross and that the description was alright. I plan on explaining why he is Charon and not tossed in Tartarus with other big baddies later.
> 
> Kylo/Rey: Force Bond baby! (That is totally what just happened if you didn't pick up on that!) I am looking forward to how Rey will handle that in the future.
> 
> Will be working on the next chapter soon, and hope to have it up within the next few days!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and make sure to leave kudos or a comment! (It helps my writing!)
> 
> <3


	9. The Sound of a Crescendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff. Plot. Spoilers. (In case you can't tell...I'm bad at these summaries. Oh well!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song from "Smooth Criminal" By Glee Cast (Also Michael Jackson)  
> -The Glee version music is more what I liked for the chapter...not the lyrics. Plus, Grant Gustin singing. #NoRegerts
> 
> Uh...Brief Pain Train Kylo(?) Sorry 'bout that!
> 
> I updated quickly cause I couldn't handle the cliffhanger from last time. Enjoy!

Phasma had been unable to locate Rey. She had combed through what had to be almost every inch of the Underworld, and found no trace of the girl. Feeling exhausted, she transported herself back to the palace, praying that Kylo or Hux had better luck.

Upon arriving, she was accosted by several frantic servants. They spoke over each other in their desperation to relay their urgency. She understood the gist though-something had happened to Rey, and Kylo needed her.

Without speaking, she popped into his chambers, eyes widening at the sight of an unconscious Rey on his bed and a disheveled Kylo holding a hand to her forehead and muttering frantically.

"What happened?" She spoke quickly, joining him on Rey's other side. She placed her fingers on Rey's chest and closed her eyes, feeling for the source of life that beat within the girl.

"She healed me. Our powers...joined. She could read my thoughts, Phas." He leaned back, allowing Phasma to continue her examination. The fact that he was not still assisting her spoke volumes of his level of trust in her abilities and power when it came to healing.

She pushed waves of healing power to the girl, and relaxed back. Kylo's gaze was unwavering, and he didn't even glance at Phasma when he asked her what the prognosis was.

"I cannot tell you what happened. You are the strongest immortal I have ever met. For her to do the things you claim...it boggles the mind, Kylo." He nodded grimly and carressed Rey's cheek carefully. She barely stirred.

"Will she be alright?" Phasma twitched at the level of worry in his voice. She patted his leg and rose.

"She will recover, and fairly quickly." She said comfortingly. He sighed. "Kylo, she needs training." She told him after a moment of them watching Rey's chest rise and fall.

"Before she collapsed...I was trying to explain to her why I brought her here." He said lowly.

"You said she healed you…?"

"Yes. The scar is gone." Phasma's eyes bulged a little at that.

"Show me!" She leaned in to view his face eagerly. He twisted slightly to face her, and she nearly fell on the bed. It was as if the scar had never been there at all!

"Dear gods!" She said faintly. "Who  _ is _ this girl?" Kylo looked at her sharply.

"What do you mean? She merely finished what you had started."

"You don't  _ understand _ . That blade should have left you disfigured for  _ eternity _ . I healed you as much as was possible. For Rey to have done this...sweet mercy, Kylo! How in Tartarus is she only the Goddess of Spring?" 

"Could it have been the crystal?" He inquired shakily. 

"Did she have it on her when this happened?"

"No. I have it, but it wasn't on me when she healed me." Phasma shook her head and sighed.

"Then it wouldn't have been that. This power is hers, and hers alone."

"I did this to her." He cursed, his hands balled into fists. He ignored her protests. "I should never have given her the crystal. I should never have gone to Olympus….and I should never have kidnapped her and brought her here."

"You had no way of knowing how the crystal would react in her hands. I agree that you should not have kidnapped the poor girl, but I think this is the best place for her to be."

"I...I just want her to be safe." He admitted, a tear tracing down his cheek. Phasma made her way around the bed so that she stood by his side. She cradled his head and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"My king. I pledge my life, my power, and my magic to you. I swore myself to you eons ago, and I swear so again now. She is not alone. We will train her, and perhaps...if we are lucky...I may make my vows to my queen."

He gasped at her final words, and bowed his head to her.

"You humble me as much now as you did when you first spoke your pledge to me." He gripped her hands and she pulled away from him to kneel before him on the floor. "I want her, Phasma." He whispered painfully, bending over their hands in his lap.

"I know you do. You are an open book around her." He chucked wetly, and she wiped a few stray tears away from his cheeks.

"We only just met, Phas." He reminded her. She smirked up at him.

"Open book." She said smugly.

"Open book? Are you speaking of our sweetling?" A sultry voice piped up near the door. Kylo tensed and turned his head slightly, keeping their intruder from seeing his tear-stained face.

"What are you doing here, Fury?" Phasma demanded, hand going for her saber. Kylo halted her and wiped his face.

"I ordered her here. Is it done?" He asked Melantha darkly. Phasma saw her nod before she swung her gaze to the bed and pale.

"Sweetling?" She hissed, vaulting on the bed and grabbing her face. Kylo snatched her away and flung her across the room. She rolled when she hit the ground and came up with her hands in the air and a contrite expression.

"Forgive me, Master." She said, watching the bed. He hovered over Rey a moment, making sure she had not been disturbed. When she didn't wake, he stalked over to where Mel was kneeling on the floor.

"What were you thinking, giving Rey one of your weapons?" He snapped, watching her darkly. 

"Our sweetling was frightened." Mel retorted, standing up and facing him. Phasma blinked in surprise- not much could encourage Mel to challenge Kylo like this.

"Sweetling?" He sneered. 

"Innocent and pure. Sweet. I enjoy her...we are friends." Phasma was bewildered-did the demoness  _ have _ any friends, apart from her brother? Did she even know what they  _ were _ ?

"So you gave her your dagger-" He started.

"For protection!" She cut in. "To keep her safe, and to give her peace of mind when she spoke with you."

"She nearly sliced his face in half!" Phasma interjected angrily. A savage grin spouted on Mel's face and she sighed happily.

"Yes. I am proud of her-I wasn't sure if she would be able to use the blade. I cannot  _ wait _ for her to meet Maul…" At this she appeared almost meek before Kylo. "If you will allow it, Master."

Kylo's face was a mask as he stared at Melantha. He finally nodded and returned to Rey's side. Mel slinked around the bed and hopped up to curl up next to Rey, cuddling the girl when Kylo voiced no objection.

"Kylo?" Phasma asked, confused. He watched as Rey sighed in her sleep and leaned into Mel's warmth.

"How can I be angry when Melantha was only keeping her safe?" He muttered after a while. Mel smiled and stroked hair away from Rey's cheek.

"With my life, Master. And I will look after her as long as you need me to. Maul and I can also take turns punishing Snoke for frightening our sweetling."

"She is never to go near him again. When she wakes, it will be another thing I explain to her." He rose, making for the door.

"Master?"

"Kylo?"

"I need to summon Hermes. I am sure that by now, Rey's absence has been noticed. They deserve an explanation." He stopped before opening the door. "Will you stay with her until I return?" He asked them. Hearing their agreements, he left swiftly, forcing himself not to give one last look at the figure resting on his bed.

*****************************************************

BeeBee raced through the grounds of Olympus, dodging various immortals and calling out apologies behind her as they grumbled. She knew something had happened-she rarely received summons from both Han AND Leia, after all.

She skidded to a stop outside the chamber door, waving at a nymph to announce her to the occupants inside. (After all, she had heard enough stories from Lando to know  _ never _ to interrupt their majesties when they were behind closed doors.)

The nymph popped inside and quickly came back out before she stood aside and Bee flashed a bright smile at her as she darted past. Once she saw who was waiting for her, her smile dimmed and she became worried.

Their majesties, Han and Leia, were sitting on their thrones as they watched Lando and Maz shout back and forth. Bee also saw Rose and Paige standing apart, Rose clinging to Paige's hand grimly.

"You called for me, majesties?" Bee called, bringing everyone's attention to her. Leia nodded sharply.

"There have been troubling reports over a missing goddess. We were hoping you had any information regarding this situation." She said delicately. Maz scoffed and threw her hands up.

" _ Missing _ goddess? My daughter was  _ taken _ , Leia Organa-Solo! Taken by YOUR SON!" BeeBee shuddered at the waves of outrage she could feel pulsing from the woman.

Han stood and held out a hand. "Now hold on a minute, Maz." He beseeched. "We didn't see what happened. There's no way of knowing what transpired, and yelling will not give us answers."

Lando snarled and began pacing around the room. "One of us should have been there!" He growled. He shot Maz a dark stare. "If we had kept her closer during the celebration, none of this would have happened! We could have been with her; we could have kept her safe!"

"Are you questioning my decisions regarding my daughter?" Maz asked dangerously. 

"She wasn't ready! She was unprepared, and Hades took advantage!" 

"She is no longer a child, Lando Calrissian! I refuse to treat her as such. Do not lay blame on her when young Solo is the one who stole her away!" She gripped her elbows and stared stonily at the floor. Bee fluttered over to her and wrapped her spritely arms delicately around Maz's frame.

"This is all my fault." Rose whispered in horror, and all glanced at her. Paige shook her head and wrapped her arm around her sister. "No!" She burst out, pushing Paige away. "We should have stayed with her.  _ I _ should have stayed!"

"None of us could have known." Paige soothed, stroking her arm to calm her.

Bee began to weep, as she broke away from Maz and threw herself at the woman's feet. "I am the last one to have seen her. She told me she wasn't feeling well. I should have gone with her and watched over her." Bee shook as Lando patted her on the shoulder and Maz lifted her up from the floor.

"We can point fingers and lay blame until Dameron saunters in." Lando said tiredly. "It won't bring our girl back."

"How did you know that she had been taken?" Han suddenly asked Maz. She blinked at him.

"Tree told me." She said plainly. Han shot Leia a bewildered shrug. 

"Uh...which tree are we talking about here?" He asked, scratching his head.

"Our home, foolish boy! Where I have fed a decent amount of my energy into it, and in turn it protects the lands and provides us with shelter! That tree and I have a bond, and we communicate quite often." Bee was amazed, and gasped lightly from her position resting on the floor.

"The protections on your lands." She uttered. Maz gave her a sharp nod, and everyone was impressed to a varying degree.

"It does much more than protect my lands. But that is neither here nor there. What matters is what that tree was privy to." She shook an angry finger at Han and Leia. "Your son used a flower my daughter made and tricked his way past my barriers to frighten her in our lands and when she tried to defend herself, he chased her outside our borders and made off with her!"

Leia paled and rose. "What was he thinking?" She asked Han shakily. He stood and reached an arm out to support her should she need it. She gave him a grateful smile and leaned into him, troubled by the thought of Ben terrorizing an innocent goddess that way.

"Majesties, I-" Bee cut off and everyone watched as a dark bracelet appeared on her right wrist. It glowed and she frowned at the writing that etched itself in the metal before it vanished along with the bracelet.

"What was that?" Paige inquired, as she and Rose had gotten closer to look. Bee had blanched and gave Lando and Maz an apologetic sigh.

"I made that." Rose told her. "It is different colors and designs based on the location. It helps Bee figure out who is trying to summon her and from where."

Bee straightened and took a deep breath. "That particular message was from the Underworld, majesties." She said quietly. Everyone shifted and all eyes were on her.

"What did it say?" Han asked tentatively.

"Lord Hades requested me to meet with him." She shook out her orange hair and brushed herself off. "He says he has a message he wishes to deliver to Olympus."

"Let's go, then." Maz declared, holding out her hand to take Bee's. 

"He wanted to speak with me alone, Lady Demeter." Bee explained, shifting backwards with a heavy face.

"He took  _ my _ daughter-" 

"Nononono!" Bee interjected swiftly. "I would take you in a heartbeat, but the invitation was only for me. It is impossible to journey to the Underworld without an invitation from Lord Hades." Maz huffed and stalked away, Lando following her with a troubled nod at Bee.

"Go, then. Find out what our son wants, and return as soon as you can." Leia ordered heavily. Bee nodded and shook out white feathery wings that she began to beat to lift herself up.

She flew to the windows and soared outside, mentally charting a course for the entrance to the Underworld. As she flew down from the heavens, she wondered how Rey was doing...and if it would be possible for BeeBee to smuggle her out without Hades knowing. For Rey, she would certainly try.

*****************************************************

"Were you able to find the girl?" Hux's voice asked, jolting Kylo out of thoughts about Rey. They were in the throne room, Kylo waiting for Hermes to arrive. He nodded absently in reply to Hux.

"She's safe." 

"And...your face? However did you manage what Phasma could not?" Hux asked, approaching and admiring the unblemished skin. Kylo waved him off, irritated.

"...I didn't." He admitted. 

"Surely...surely not." Hux stammered, quickly drawing conclusions. Kylo gave a curt nod. "Dear gods. What an enigma this girl is turning out to be." He began pacing, hands clasped tightly behind his back as he thought.

Kylo flicked a finger and froze him where he stood. "Quit your plotting, Hux."

Hux whined. "I'm not plotting!" Kylo's incredulous face had him cave. "Fine! Totally plotting." Kylo snorted and released him. "But can you blame me? Can you imagine that kind of power here? Tied to the kingdom?" Hux demanded, vibrating in glee.

"Hux, stop. You look too...happy. It's unnerving." Hux laughed at him until Kylo twitched a finger and Hux's mouth glued shut.

"Mmm! Mm! Mm!" Hux twisted and jerked his lips wildly. Kylo sighed and moved his finger, Hux popping his mouth open and spitting curses.

"That seems more like you." Kylo grinned. Hux lifted a finger in his direction as he ran his other hand over his jaw.

"Maybe she will do us all a favor and aim lower the next time she takes a shot at you." Hux muttered.

"Why Hux," Kylo said silkily, "Was that ill-will I heard towards your king?" Hux blanched and coughed awkwardly.

"Your majesty must have misunderstood me. I uh…" He trailed off, and Kylo watched him squirm as he tried to come up with something to save his skin.

"There are things you could be doing." He pointed out mildly after a few minutes. Hux jumped and bowed.

"Of course, my Lord Hades." He hurried out, and Kylo was alone again. He pondered what he was going to say to Lady Hermes when she arrived, anxious not to mess things up and have a war on his hands.

A servant entered, leading the messenger goddess inside. He sat proudly on his throne, observing her with blank eyes. Hermes looked everywhere, her eyes wide and a little daunted at the opulence of his palace. He smirked inwardly-Olympus was a pale facsimile to his kingdom...although that was owed to Hux and Phasma more than it was to him.

"Lord Hades." Hermes curtsied quickly, bouncing slightly in place. 

"Lady Hermes." He replied.

"BeeBee, please!" She chirped before freezing.

"Please bring Lady...BeeBee some refreshments." He ordered the servant, who had been waiting for him to dismiss her. She bowed and moved towards the exit.

"Just BeeBee...or Bee! If you like. And I require nothing. I cannot stay long." Bee said hastily, and the servant looked to Kylo. He nodded and she left.

"Thank you for coming." Kylo felt so awkward-he really hated small talk. To be completely honest, this goddess wasn't helping matters-she couldn't seem to be still. She was constantly in motion, as if she couldn't bear to remain in one place for too long.

"Is Rey here?" She craned her neck around, and searched the room. "I want to see her." He blinked at her wrathful tone, and he struggled not to laugh at how cute the goddess was when she tried to look stern.

"She's...resting." He told her. Her face darkened.

"Have you hurt her?" She whipped a staff out of thin air and brandished it at him. What feelings of mirth he had earlier vanished as he rose and gripped the staff in one hand.

"You  _ dare _ ...threaten  _ me _ ….in this place?" She twitched at his tone, but thrust the end of her staff further up until it rested below his chin. His hand still held it firmly, and he kept it from impaling him in the throat.

"Did you hurt her?" She demanded, blinking away angry tears. He pushed her back and she skittered across the floor before she raised the staff again. "Did you hurt my friend?" She yelled angrily.

Kylo stopped, the red that had taken over his vision fading somewhat. He saw Bee shake, trying not to cry over her fear for Rey, and his heart  _ ached _ . He withdrew and made his way back to the throne, lowering himself into it.

"She is resting because she used a great deal of power earlier." He said calmly, keeping his eyes trained on his hands and away from Bee. She vanished her staff and ventured closer to him cautiously.

"What did she do?" She gasped. "Does she need help?" Kylo wanted to smile at how quickly her focus had shifted from wanting to attack him to concern for Rey.

"I have Lady Hecate tending to her. She will be fine." He assured her, and her face lightened when he mentioned Phasma, before darkening again.

"Why did you take her from her home?" She asked quietly. He shifted guiltily.

"I have a message for Zeus and Hera." He said, avoiding her question. She narrowed her eyes at him before she gestured for him to continue.

He explained to her a little about Rey's power; and how in terms of raw ability, she was one of the strongest beings he had ever met. When he mentioned her reaction to the Kyber crystal, and what she could do with it, Bee gasped.

"A Kyber crystal? And she managed to do that much damage with it in its unrefined state?" She wrung her hands together and looked worried.

"Something awoke within her. What she could do now far outweighs whatever she managed to accomplish before." He told her, willing for her to understand and agree. She eventually nodded.

"So, you brought her here...to what, exactly?"

"To train her."

"....Train her." 

"...Yes."

She groaned and ran her fingers through her hair, muttering furiously. He managed to capture a bit about "idiot gods" and "will  _ kill _ him" along with a charming bit about how she didn't need this kind of buggering in her life. He cleared his throat at that and tried to keep himself from flushing.

"I am the only one who can help her." He said softly. She widened her eyes and he blinked at how green they were-glittering like emeralds in the low light.

"As pure as your intentions may seem...I don't think that they will agree with you." She sighed. He knew she was right, and he struggled wildly with what he was about to suggest, as he knew it would infinitely complicate his life.

"Return to Olympus." He bid her. "Tell Maz Kanata that I will not allow Rey to leave until she is ready...but that Kanata may stay here and aid in her training."

"Are you serious?" Bee blurted, shocked. He nodded once.

"Kanata trained her before. She knows her level of ability. And...she's her mother." Bee studied him for a time before she curtsied with an appeased air.

"I will deliver your message." She intoned formally, before she flitted to the door. He watched as she left the way she came, and he slumped in his seat, relieved it was over.

*****************************************************

Bee paused outside the door and hesitated. She wanted more than anything to rescue Rey, but if Hades spoke the truth, then Rey needed all the help she could receive in managing her new power. 

Still...it wouldn't hurt for her to check in on Rey before she delivered her message, would it? Hades had told her that she was recovering, but Bee would really be more at ease if she could see Rey herself.

Bee shifted so that she was hidden in shadows, watching with narrow eyes as servants moved through the halls. Deciding, she darted after a group that carried linens, hoping that they would lead her to Rey.

She trailed far enough back that none of them noticed her...which was good as she heard them gossip about the woman who rested in their master's chambers. Bee winced-Maz and Lando certainly wouldn't appreciate that knowledge. She privately noted not to mention it when she saw them next.

The servants paused outside a door and Bee watched as they began encouraging the other to go in. Bee smoothed her dress down, grateful it appeared similar to the servants' clothing, and strode down the hall towards them.

"I can take them inside!" She offered, extending her arms to take the silky fabric. The three servants glanced at each other before piling their offerings in her arms. One opened the door and they smiled gratefully at her as she shuffled inside, trying not to trip or to drop the material.

She wobbled over to a table and set everything down before she chanced a look at the bed...and froze. Rey was certainly there, sleeping….but so was Phasma and a black and red woman that looked like a demon.

"Bee?" Phasma lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms sternly. She had been resting in the chair next to the bed, but had woken as soon as the door had opened.

"Heh….hi, Phas." Bee waved weakly. The demon-lady bared her teeth and twitched her hand. A knife flew at Bee's face, only to be stopped by her staff that she flung out in desperation.

"Eek!" She shrieked, and pried the blade out of her staff. Suddenly she was shoved into the wall and the blade was thrust against her chest, poised over her heart.

"Melantha!" Phasma barked. The demoness stared stonily into Bee's eyes as she answered.

"Shall I dispose of her, my lady?"

"That is the Lady Hermes. Release her  _ now _ !" Melantha growled, but did as ordered. "What are you doing here, BeeBee?" Phasma asked her tiredly. 

"I wanted to make sure Rey was okay before I returned to Olympus. Hades said she had been hurt and was resting...in his bed apparently." She explained, as she hovered anxiously near the foot of the bed. "Is she alright, Phas?" She inquired quietly.

"Our sweetling is very strong. She will wake soon enough." Melantha had curled back up against Rey, eyes trained on Bee for any sudden movements.

"She will be fine, Bee. But you should go before Hades discovers you snuck around his palace and came here." 

"I will...I just wanted to make sure Rey was really okay. She had us all scared...and I know that her mother would appreciate knowing that she really is alright." Bee explained sheepishly. 

Bee sighed as she flexed out her wings. "I suppose I should head back and give them his message." She looked awkward. "Um...how do I get out of here?" She laughed and scratched her head.

"I will escort you." A voice came from behind her. Bee screamed and jumped, whipping her head around and clutching at her racing heart. The being behind her was clad in flowing black robes, a hood drawn to cover his face. He pulled it back and Bee nearly fainted.

"Brother!" The demoness called, pleased. 

_ Brother _ ? Bee thought wildly.  _ Oh gods...there are TWO of them _ ? He looked like a bulky mirror image of the demoness, and he emitted the same kind of imposing aura as she did.

"I...I think I can manage." She stammered. He narrowed his eyes and flicked a look over her shoulder to his sister.

"I will take her." Melantha purred, rising and coming to her brother's side. 

"Are you certain, sister?" He asked, stroking her arm and keeping a flat gaze on Bee. 

"Certainly. You're frightening the poor thing. We don't want to risk her fainting and being unable to deliver Master's message to Olympus."

"As you say." He butted her forehead gently, their horns tangling for a brief moment. "And what of your prisoner?" He gestured to Rey, who was still somehow sleeping through the commotion around her.

"Not a prisoner. This is Rey-she is a friend. Our sweetling." He quirked an eyebrow at hearing such words come from her mouth and took a second look at the woman on the bed.

"Sweetling?" At her nod he sighed, and moved to take her position that she had on the bed. Bee squeaked at the impropriety and Phasma waved them off.

"He will only watch over her, Bee." She explained as Bee blushed. 

"Come, little Bee. The faster you leave, the faster I can return to my brother and our sweetling." Melantha tugged hard on Bee's arm and began dragging her to the door. With one final glance at Rey, the image of a man sharing Rey's bed...even though platonically, was seared into Bee's brain.

_ Maz and Lando can NEVER know about this _ . She thought frantically as she followed behind the demoness out the palace and soared away as she began her journey back to Olympus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in my mind, BeeBee is this jittery, sweet little thing that will go hardcore at your face if you hurt her friends. As I am typing this, I realize that I kinda based her on a friend....hehe whoops. Meh, hopefully she will never find this.
> 
> So, I am kinda glossing over Maz going home and finding Rey missing. Maybe I will revisit it in a flashback or something for the next chapter. Maybe not. My fingers start typing and words come out. I have very little control over it!
> 
> Duuuuuuuude, Maul though. Totally gonna have him be this total scary demon...except for his sister. He is a complete cinnamon roll for Mel.
> 
> I meant to put this last chapter, and forgot....the flowers have significance! Daisies are meant to represent purity, and it is also a nod to Daisy Ridley, the actress who did an amazing job as Rey! The petunias are meant to signify anger and resentment.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and for making it this far! Hope you stick with me as I take this story even further! 
> 
> Until Next Time!  
> <3


	10. Knowing That We Feel The Same Without Saying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meetings, Clarifications, and Moments are had. Slight trigger warning: Violence towards children is mentioned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from "All Through the Night" by Sleeping At Last
> 
> Chapter is nearly 5000 words lol. Hope you like it!
> 
> Thanks to Punkforthemoment for the suggestion she made for this chapter-will tell you afterwards so I don't spoil anything.

Kylo wanted nothing more than to return to Rey's side and ensure that she was well. Unfortunately, his Knights had sent him a request asking for him to oversee the judgement of several criminals.

As he sat and listened to the evidence given against the souls, his worry caused him to grow frustrated and angry at the proceedings. The soul that was begging for clemency blanched at the scowl marring the king of the dead's face.

Noticing, Kylo made the effort to blanken his features to show an impenetrable mask. As he listened to the incessant begging and pleading, all he could think was _Rey…..Rey…...Rey…._

"Escort him to the Fields of Asphodel!" He barked, cutting off the soul's groveling. The man did not deserve Elysium, but he also had not done enough wrong to condone being thrown into Tartarus. He sighed and rubbed his head with a hand, wearily bemoaning that there were several more souls to sort.

_Rey…..Rey…...Rey……_

*****************************************************

"Aww, brother. If I didn't know better, I would think that you were smitten with our dear sweetling." Maul felt the corners of his mouth tilt upward at his twin's words.

"She was cold." He offered as explanation to the scene that Melantha had returned to: Rey was cuddled up to him, curling into his body with an arm slung across his torso. Phasma had fallen asleep on the chair again, leaving Maul to watch over the two goddesses while he waited for his sister.

"What do you think of her?" Anyone else would have been unable to detect the taint of nerves that colored her words...but Maul knew his sister. He held a hand out to her, silently asking for her to join them on the bed. She slipped through the room, being careful not to wake either woman.

She spooned Rey from behind, reaching over to link fingers with Maul. "She's a pretty little thing." He offered. 

"She is, isn't she?" Maul was surprised at how…. _fond_ ….his sister sounded of this young goddess.

"Mel…" He trailed off. She tucked her head into Rey's hair and hid her face from him. He stroked his thumb on what skin he could reach of her hand and puffed out a sigh. "She means this much to you? Already?"

Mel nodded her head before peeking up at his unamused expression. She blinked innocently and tried to pout with pleading eyes. He narrowed his own and waited her out with an unimpressed look.

"I like her." She finally admitted. He looked down at the woman wrapped between the two demons. He knew how enamored she was of their lover...had she found someone else to share her bed? "Not like that, brother." She had guessed at his thoughts and slapped him lightly with their clasped hands.

"Not romantically, then?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Friends." It was a foreign concept to Maul, and it left him slightly unmoored. For so long it had been he and Mel...then their lover. They had very few ties, and it had suited them all these years. For Melantha to claim this goddess as a "friend"...a swell of protectiveness filled him. 

For Maul, it was that simple. If Mel wanted to collect this girl and provide their protection for her, he would follow his sister's lead. If it had not been for her, they would be lost to the fires that raged in Tartarus. And even after, they would never have connected with their lover if it had not been for her being the first to admit feelings about him.

"I hope to know her as you do." At that, Mel grinned at him, and he was glad. His sister was happy, and he knew that he would do anything within his power to keep her that way.

"So...how was he today?" She whispered, reclaiming his attention after it had begun to drift towards dinner. He leaned back against the headboard and thought back to how he had left Obi-Wan…thoroughly satiated. "That good?" She chuckled, reading his smugness.

"He missed you." He told her, kissing her hand. She snorted under her breath.

"Brother, if he missed me...then you were doing something wrong." He chuffed at that and pinched her. 

"He cares for us both." He reminded her. "He misses you when we are together and he misses me when you are. Such is our fate."

"Do you...do you ever wish he would choose one of us?" She asked, withdrawing from him and running her hand through Rey's hair to calm herself. Rey grumbled in her sleep and leaned back into the caressing, much to Mel's delight.

"No." He answered, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Why would we be so cruel to deny him, and ourselves, such pleasure? Our bond is...unconventional...but I would not abandon it lightly. I would not abandon it at all." She tilted her head further into his hand and nuzzled him with a soft smile.

"Neither would I." She murmured.

"Then let us speak no more of this. He is ours: yours to pleasantly torment, and mine to torment with pleasure." 

"Well put, brother mine. I do believe our lover is rubbing off on you." Noticing his smugness again, she chuckled wickedly. "Dirty boy. Do I need to punish him?" 

Maul noticed the gleam in her eye and the quickening of her breath. He smiled inwardly. His little deviant, darling sister was already scheming of ways for their lover to suffer. Who was he to deny her...and eventually Obi-Wan...their fun?

"Perhaps you should ask him if he deserves punishing." He suggested, knowing that would delight them both. Judging by her face, he knew she probably would.

"Oh brother...you do spoil me so." She giggled maniacally, only to cut off as Rey yawned and began blinking. Rey finally focused on Maul and choked.

" _Mel_?"

*****************************************************

" _Mel_ ?" Rey was disoriented and freaking out. Mel was bulkier and had somehow managed to turn into a _man_ , and….wait. Hadn't she mentioned a brother?

Charmed giggles sounded in her ears and she flopped back to see Mel on one side...leaving the brother on her other side. "You're finally awake!" She beamed. "This is Maul." Rey turned her head up so that she could see the demon looking down at her.

"Hello." She smiled politely. Her head was still a bit foggy, and she hoped he wouldn't be offended over her confusing him for his sister.

"Hello, little flower." He greeted. Rey felt like groaning-what was it about these two and refusing to call her by her name?

"I'm Rey." She said firmly. His eyes laughed at her.

"How ironic."

Rey was confused. "What do you mean?"

He hummed. "A ray provides warmth, but you seek it out...not unlike a flower does." He finished slyly. Rey gaped at him while Mel suppressed laughter at her brother's teasing.

"A sweet flower." She agreed. Rey glared up at her.

"I am not sweet, nor am I a flower."

"You are protesting too much, sweetling. I bet you secretly are pleased." Rey flushed and spluttered before giving up.

Maul slipped from the bed and stretched, releasing tension in his tight muscles. Mel and Rey watched as he stole away to fetch a cloth and dampen it. Returning, he offered it to Rey, gesturing for her to place it on her brow.

"Thank you." She offered in gratitude, relaxing and feeling her mind clear a bit.

"Better?" Mel inquired, massaging Rey's scalp tenderly. Rey lowly moaned her agreement.

"That feels heavenly." She slurred, while Mel and Maul eyed her blissful expression. "Do you do this for your lover when you three are together?" She asked innocently.

Mel stilled and pulled her hand away from Rey's hair. Rey turned and saw Mel's face twist in disgust. "Together?" Mel repeated. Rey swung her gaze between the two siblings and didn't understand their distaste.

"You….you keep saying things like "our lover"...and the two of you seem so close…?" She trailed off hesitantly. Mel shuddered and Maul leaned back against the wall silently.

"We do share a lover. But never with each other." Mel explained.

"I don't understand-"

"We take turns with him. But my brother and I have never _been_ bed partners, and will never _be_ bed partners. I adore him, and would die a thousand deaths for him. I would follow him into battle and spill the blood of every enemy who threatens him. I would rip apart the _world_ to keep him safe." Mel smirked at Maul before adding, "But to have him as a sexual partner? The very thought of it makes me ill….no offense meant, brother dear."

"None taken, blood of my blood. I feel the same."

"I'm so sorry." Rey was horrified. "I didn't mean to offend you!" Maul held up a hand and shushed her.

"Many who would look at us would come to the same conclusion as you did. The opinions of others mean nothing to us."

"But I did not want you to think of us that way. I am glad you know now." Mel added.

"Thank you." Rey slid away from Mel until she could sit up completely in the bed, looking around past the bubble they had secluded themselves in.

"Wait." She lifted a hand to her head. "Where did Kylo go?"

Maul twitched at her cavalier use of Kylo's name, but he told her Kylo had gone to send a message to Olympus about her.

"He has yet to return." He concluded.

"Was he alright? How long ago was that? What exactly happened? What-Holy Zeus, IS THAT PHASMA?" What had begun as whispered questioning, ended as stifled shrieking.

Mel rolled over until she was closer to Phasma, who was still asleep in the chair. "It appears she has used much of her magic lately." She mused. "She hasn't woken up once!"

"What has she been using her magic on, if it has led her to sleep this deeply?" Rey asked in concern. 

"To heal Master, mostly." Mel shrugged.

"....Because of me." Rey was numb with horror and self loathing.

"Partly because of Kylo." Phasma cut in, after waking and hearing the last bit of their conversation. Rey stared slack jawed as Phasma stretched and yawned.

"Is...is he alright?" Rey asked, striving for nonchalance and failing.

"As far as I know. Completely fine!" Phasma assured her. 

Maul broke away from the wall and ambled over to the door. "It is getting late. I imagine we all could do with rest...in our own chambers." He glanced back at his sister and called for her to join him.

"Master asked that I stay until he returns." She argued.

"I can handle it." Phasma said, shooing Mel off the bed and examining a tomato faced Rey. Mel watched skeptically while Maul waited.

"It's fine, Mel. I will see you tomorrow?" Rey kept her focus on Mel, refusing to make eye contact with Phasma. She was afraid if she did, that she would begin gushing and have the sorceress be disturbed by the level of admiration Rey held for her.

"Not tomorrow, sweetling. I have duties...but Maul could come visit?" Mel seemed regretful, and Rey remembered that Mel had told her that she and Maul took turns to visit their lover. It must be Mel's turn to go see him.

"I'd like that." Rey soothed, smiling hesitantly at Maul. He inclined his head in return.

"I will see you when I return, sweet flower!" Mel promised with a saucy wink. Rey scowled as the demoness laughed all the way out of the room, Maul trailing behind her.

Rey focused back on Phasma, who had gone and fetched water for her. Rey gulped it down eagerly, and thanked her with a gasp.

"You must be hungry." Phasma noted. "I can call for something to be brought from the kitchens-"

"No need." A quiet voice interrupted. Rey whipped her head around to see that Kylo had slipped in unnoticed, a tray in his hands. "Thank you, Phasma." He dismissed her, and she gave a bow to both before disappearing back to her rooms.

He made his way over to the desk, placing the tray down before settling into the chair beside the bed. Rey watched him silently, struggling to figure out what she wanted to say to him.

The smell from the tray was _heavenly_ -stew or soup of some kind, and Rey was _famished_. She clenched her hands in her lap, trying to keep herself from lunging for the tray like a wild animal. He noticed her hands and he tensed.

As the two observed each other warily, she thought, _Well...this is awkward_.

*****************************************************

_This is so awkward_. Kylo groaned inwardly. He wanted nothing more than to check Rey over himself, holding her against him as he made sure she was completely fine. He had made to move his hand towards her to check and make certain she was alright, when he saw how tightly she had her hands clenched.

Now they just kept staring at each other silently, and he wanted to scream in frustration. He had no idea where to begin to reach her, and he had so much to tell her that it was impossible to know where to start.

He cleared his throat and she startled a little. "You must be hungry." He offered, taking a bowl and spoon to pass to her, being careful not to jostle the bowl. The last thing either of them needed was him being clumsy and upending the hot liquid of the soup on her.

"Thank you." She practically inhaled the food, and Kylo was ashamed at how long he had kept it. He should have given it to her immediately-was that the reason she stayed quiet? Because she didn't want him to see how bad her hunger had gotten?

"Here." He switched their bowls, giving her his full one and returning the empty one to the tray.

"It's yours though." She protested weakly, eyeing it ravenously. 

"I can call for more. Please. Eat as much as you want." He was satisfied when she finished the last bite and put a hand to her stuffed belly.

"You must think me a pig." She laughed awkwardly.

"Not at all." He rushed to say. "You used a great amount of power. A lot of rest and food helps."

"I'm…I'm glad that your face is healed." She passed him back the bowl. He placed it beside the other on the tray and banished it back to the kitchens with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you." He offered her a hand to assist her out of the bed. "I imagine you may need a moment to refresh yourself." He guided her to his bathroom and she disappeared inside after thanking him.

He sank into one of his chairs before the fireplace before scrubbing his face wearily. It had been a long day, and he was ready to crash. _In a bed that now smells like her_ , his traitorous mind whispered. Oh, gods.

He heard her come out from the bathroom and made to get up to offer her assistance, but she shook her head and came to settle in the opposite chair.

"Are you going to give me answers now?" She prodded gently. He heaved a sigh.

"I don't...I don't know where to begin." He admitted. 

"Why did you give me the Kyber crystal?" She asked before furrowing her brow. "Where is the Kyber crystal? What happened to it?"

"I have it. It's safe." She gestured for him to go on. "I gave it to you as a show of power. It was more a way to flaunt status than anything else."

"But you had never met me. Seems like a very big risk to take, giving such a powerful object to some random goddess." He winced and stared at her apologetically.

"You were a nature goddess with Maz Kanata for a mother. I wasn't too terribly worried about you trying to do something foolish with it." He explained. 

"Why kidnap me? Why go to all this trouble?" She asked, agitated.

"It was idiocy on my part. I had just wanted to make sure you made it home safely. But once I was there, I became curious and looked around. Kanata is not much for visitors...it seemed like a valuable opportunity that I didn't want to waste." He conjured a glass of nectar and drank.

"After you had satisfied your desire to see my home, why didn't you leave? Why stay? Why reveal yourself?" She demanded.

"Rey, I was going to. I swear that I was. But then, you felt me...felt my presence."

"So?" She cried, throwing her hands up.

"You don't understand!" He blurted. "You shouldn't have been _able_ to sense me. Not while I had the Helm of Darkness on. An item that powerful, and you were able to detect me!"

She blanched. "That...that was probably just a fluke." He shook his head firmly.

"Even if that were remotely possible, you then managed to channel power through the crystal and used that power to make energy blasts that you used to attack me. And you healed me, Rey. Such a thing like that shouldn't be possible!"

"I'm sure Phasma could have-"

"Phasma healed me to the best of her abilities. That scar should have been permanent. You have all of this power inside you, Rey. I brought you here because it was the safest place for you as you adjust to this new strength."

"You said you needed me." She whispered after a moment.

"I do. Having you here helps me to be close to you so that I can train you. I just want you to be safe, and in control."

She eyed him. "And you can teach me this control?"

"Yes."

"What about my friends? My family? They must be worried out of their minds!"

"I sent a message to Olympus, and explained things to them. I also offered for Maz to come so that you wouldn't be alone."

She seemed stunned. "You did?" He nodded. "Thank you, Kylo." Rey exhaled with a smile. "I'm still angry though." She added sternly.

"I know. I _am_ sorry, Rey." He wanted more than anything to make it right with her. He hoped that this would be the first step. 

"I would like to talk to her before I make a decision about staying and letting you teach me." He inclined his head. It was a reasonable request. "In the meantime...where am I to stay?"

He desperately wanted to tell her she was more than welcome to remain in his bed, but was certain that she would lose any trust in him he had managed to scrape back. 

He got out of the chair and walked over to the wall behind them, in a large area next to the stand his mask was placed. He placed his hand on the wall and concentrated. A door shimmered into view. Upon hearing her intake of breath, he opened it and beckoned for her to come see.

She joined him and ventured into what appeared to be similar rooms to the ones they just left. What he didn't tell her was that these chambers had not existed before that moment-he created them just for her.

Where his rooms were made with darker color schemes, he made sure to model hers after what he thought she would like. He had empty pots set up sporadically throughout the room for her to place plants in, and he hoped fervently that they would survive for her.

The bed was made with the finest linen, and was surrounded by a sheer white lace curtain that glittered and swayed gently. 

"It's...it's so beautiful." He looked at her and couldn't help but to agree, although he applied the word towards her and not the room. Her eyes were wide and awed as she took in everything around her, and he became alarmed when he saw tears glisten in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" He begged, trying to keep himself from embracing her. He would have loved nothing more than to bundle her up and keep her safe and protected from the world, where he would do everything in his power to make sure she would never cry again...unless it was from joy or passion.

"I guess I'm still not quite used to nice things." She said wetly, wiping at her eyes.

"What do you mean?" He cajoled lightly.

"Before I met Lando and Maz, I...I didn't have the best childhood. I don't like talking about it, but some days it was such a struggle to survive." She explained, and his heart constricted.

"What about your parents?" He whispered. She sighed bitterly.

"I-I don't know. I guess they abandoned me. I don't really think about it." His heart shattered at how broken she sounded and he couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. He wrapped her in his arms and cradled her head in his hand, rocking them unconsciously back and forth.

"That was their mistake." He murmured in her ear, as she tucked her head into the crook of his neck. "I'm glad that you found Maz. I am so thankful she took you in."

"Why?" She asked against his chest. He nuzzled her lightly and delighted that she didn't pull away.

"I could say that it is completely selfish because I'm unsure if I would have met you otherwise. But truthfully, it is because no child deserves to have to experience such hardships. I have so many young ones that come here, and _I hate it_." 

He was shocked when his eyes moistened. He was so used to bottling up everything that he felt-keeping himself apart emotionally from everyone and everything. But ever since he had had that dream of Rey, it was like she was chipping away at his defenses...and he honestly could not bring himself to care.

"That must be so hard...I can't even imagine." She was rubbing her hand on his chest subconsciously in comfort, and something eased in him. "What happens to them?"

"Sometimes I send them to Elysium to be with family. Other times, I allow their souls to be reborn." He explained. "I make sure they are happy, and if their deaths were violent, I _punish_ _those_ _responsible_." He stilled after he finished, hoping she didn't shy away from how dark his voice sounded.

She held his shirt loosely in hand as she leaned back and made eye contact with him, her eyes still slightly damp. "Good." She said simply, and he nearly swooned at the acceptance in her voice.

He pulled away from her, his arms dropping back to his sides as he motioned towards the bed. "It's late." He showed her to a closet and told her there were garments in there for her to change into if she desired.

"Thank you, Kylo." She smiled.

"Ben." He couldn't help but correct. 

"Chewie mentioned that name earlier…?" She furrowed her brow while peering up at him. 

"My title is Hades, and in my kingdom I am Kylo. But...I'd like for you to call me Ben." He held his breath, watching her carefully.

"Why?" He took her hand and kissed the back of it reverently.

"Because I am finding that when I am with you...I want to be that man again." At her widening eyes, he jerked back and wished her a good night before retreating back to the door separating their rooms. 

He stopped before turning the handle and spoke over his shoulder, "If there is anything you need during the night, Lady Kore, please don't hesitate to ask."

He was a coward, he knew. He wanted her to address him familiarly, but he retreated into formality to cover up how awkward he had become when he had revealed too much to her.

"Rey." She corrected. She had followed him, but stood far enough back that he hoped she couldn't see how he shivered.

"Good night, Rey." He murmured, unable to turn around.

"Good night…..Ben." He yanked the door open and plunged through to his rooms, making sure the door was properly closed. He toed off his boots and pulled his shirt over his head before tossing it aside.

After changing into loose pants that rested lower on his hips, he summoned a bowl of grapes and some cheese from the kitchens. Munching absentmindedly, he slipped under the covers, snack firmly in hand. 

He ate about half of the bowl's contents before stopping and thinking. He closed his eyes and sent the dish to Rey's room; hoping that if she got hungry in the night, she would have something to satisfy her.

He leaned back, bracing his head on the pillow and breathing in the faint scent of Rey that clung to his bedding. He was glad that she was alright and wasn't suffering from any ill aftereffects of healing him.

They had made progress tonight. There were still things he had to say-the vision for one, and the connection he had begun to feel for her since then, another. But she had opened up to him, and she hadn't shied away when he held her.

But more importantly, she called him _Ben_. And she wasn't afraid when he mentioned punishing souls who had harmed children. The look in her eye, a steely resolve, was intoxicating to him.

He knew it was wrong-shameful, disgraceful, and highly immoral-but he was unable to stop from reaching a hand down to grip himself. He jerked his length slowly, giving in to the madness of his lust for her.

Behind the lids of his eyes, he imagined them on Olympus, when they were embraced and he was kissing her. He allowed himself to wonder at what he could have done if she had not fled from him to return to the party.

He would have continued to kiss her, until she could do nothing but pant his name softly in his ear. He would have hushed her gently, and reminded her of their need to be quiet as he trailed a path of kisses to her throat, marking it with nips of his teeth, and soothing it with caresses of his tongue.

When it would become too much for her-for them-he would reach a hand down and slide it slowly beneath her dress, caressing skin as he went. She would shiver and moan and he would groan and wish that his hands were bare for him to touch her skin.

He would find her curls and begin pleasuring the nub rested beneath her hood. They would kiss heatedly, desperate and wanting. (His hand began to speed up; his tip weeping fluid that he used, his hand gliding up and down on skin as he breathed raggedly.)

He would ask if she was close, and when she would nod, he would begin whispering dirty, filthy fantasies in her ear. She would flush, and he would growl in her ear how beautiful she was, how good she was for him. (He could feel it:he was _so_ close-so _close-so close_!)

He would finally demand that she come, and he would watch in abject pleasure and hungry satisfaction as she obliged. It was that thought-of her with her head thrown back, gripped in the throws of climax, that had him reach his own.

He bit his hand, smothering his cry as he came all over his chest. He lay there panting, basking in the release of pleasure. He summoned a rag and wiped himself clean, disposing of the cloth on the floor. He lay back against the pillow, and began to drift off on the bed.

*****************************************************

It was such a shame that he was completely unaware of the gobsmacked goddess watching him. So caught up in fantasy, he had not even noticed that she was on the bed next to him, watching him in shocked silence.

She had been privy to it all-and it was only when he had gone to clean himself, that she had vanished. If Kylo had paid any attention whatsoever, he would have known that she hadn't been physically with him-she was still in her bed next door.

Rey had no idea what had happened. One moment she had been about to sleep, when a bowl had appeared on the stand next to her bed. She saw the food, and her heart was touched at Kylo's...Ben's thoughtfulness.

As she lay there thinking of him, she felt a weight on the bed and glanced over...only to freeze at the sight of him touching himself. She could barely _breathe_ at the sight of it-he was absolutely beautiful. He was incredibly muscled, and while she did not know much about the male anatomy, she was willing to bet he was larger than most.

His skin shone and he panted, muscles contorting and hand moving up and down. She had never seen such a sight; and she was afraid to blink, so certain that she would miss something. 

When he bit his hand and climaxed, Rey was so taken aback that whatever had connected them vanished...and she was alone. She stared blindly at the spot he had been on the bed and her mind raced.

The same thought kept running through her head- _What Had Happened_ ? (And a more secret, darker urge- _How To Make It Happen Again_?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of the force bond shown here. Kylo wasn't aware of it because he was tired and otherwise occupied. But I hope he gets with the program soon! (I had thought about having Maz in this chapter, but...not yet. Maybe next time.)
> 
> Punkforthemoment suggested that I explain the relationship that Maul, Mel, and Obi-Wan share. I hope this clears things up!
> 
> While I am loving writing this fic, I have thought about starting others. There are just so many ideas that I have and I want to explore! Would love some suggestions-Should I just work on this, or should I give in and start another fic? (While still working on this one, of course.)
> 
> Hope you guys like the chapter!
> 
> <3


	11. Started Out as a Feeling...Which Then Grew Into a Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maz packs for the Underworld. Rey feels some frustration....Kylo is honest about what he wants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from "The Call" by Regina Spektor
> 
> This chapter was a bit difficult as I was debating several different paths to take. It is a little shorter than normal...but I hope the content makes up for it!
> 
> Also, I have started a new story- "As You Wish", A Reylo Princess Bride AU. I will try and do both at the same time, so wish me luck!

Maz Kanata often woke before the sun rose. There were far too many things to do, and only so much daylight in which to do them. But today she had not risen out of bed, for that would imply that she had ever been in it at all.

There was so much to do in order to be ready to journey to the Underworld. If what BeeBee had said was true, then Rey needed help. Help that Maz was no longer sure if she could provide. 

A secret that she kept from the others, even Lando and Rey, had been taking a bit of a toll on her for a very long time. Keeping the lands bountiful for the humans to continue harvesting could be very taxing for her, and continuously pouring power into the earth wearied her.

That wasn't to say that the earth would be in danger if she were to take a brief pause and be with her daughter….and to give young Solo a very swift kick to his _underworld_ if even one hair on Rey's head was harmed. 

She chortled at her own little joke, as she bundled up the last of what she would need for her trip. She stroked the bark of the tree she and Rey called home, and sighed.

"You'll look after things while I'm gone?" A throb of heat was her response and she hummed before sending energy into the wood. "Just to be safe." She muttered.

"I should go with you." Lando said from the doorway, frowning as she clutched her sack and heaved it over her shoulder. (It was tempting to laugh at how the bag was almost twice the size of the woman, but Lando was not in the mood for humor).

"You and I both know that stubborn boy won't let anyone into his kingdom but me. And you don't possess anything to use to smuggle yourself inside." She hitched the bag higher and began waddling to the door, the sack dragging on the ground behind her.

"Besides," she added, "you promised to help out around here." He huffed and followed as she went outside, making sure to close the door behind him. 

"I don't trust him." He said through clenched teeth.

"Bee told me that he seemed genuine in his desire to help Rey. Until I see how he acts myself, I have faith in our girl to handle him."

"He told Bee he wouldn't let Rey leave until her training was complete. What if he acts in a way you don't approve? What will you do then?" He demanded intensely.

She looked up at him then, her eyes thunderous and her posture rigid. "What do you think?" She asked icily. "Whatever I have to." 

With that, she left him and made her way to where BeeBee was waiting anxiously, tapping her staff against her thigh. Bee hurried forward to offer Maz help with her sack, which Maz politely refused.

Bee grabbed hold of Maz's arm, waved farewell to Lando, and the two vanished in a shower of fluffy feathers. 

***************************************************

Rey was afraid to get up out of bed. Every time she tried to close her eyes the night before, her mind was right back in Kylo's room, watching him as he….did what he did.

Dear gods, she couldn't even think of the word without blushing in complete and utter mortification. (With a _slight_ bit of arousal, but Rey was _not_ going there. Not at all. Not for _anything)._

Oh, but her mind had other ideas. She couldn't help but remember, in very _very_ specific detail, what he looked like as his back arched up slightly with his eyes screwed shut as he rubbed skin on skin. 

And what skin! She did not know how a woman or even a goddess was to handle such a specimen as what was between his legs. Were all men that large? Somehow, she didn't believe so. She wouldn't be surprised to find out that he was a class all unto himself.

It was a terrible thing for her to admit to herself, but she did not want Maz to arrive today. Her adoptive mother would take one look at her, and know that _something_ had occurred. Those eyes of hers always managed to see more than Rey had intended.

And, _Kylo_ ! How on Gaia's Green Earth was she supposed to face him, knowing what she did? It was concerning the manner in which she witnessed what she did, she knew, but there was _no way_ that she wanted to fess up to him what she had seen.

She sat up in the bed, pulling back the glossy curtain with one pull before climbing out. She stretched, her nightgown riding up a bit and bunching against her shoulders. She yanked it down and went hunting in her closet for new clothes.

Everything in the closet was gorgeous, and it took Rey a moment to realize that every garment was white. She pulled a simple piece out, and frowned down at it. She had never personally tried to change the color of her clothing, but surely it couldn't be that hard?

Really, all she had to do was concentrate. She closed her eyes and pictured it as a pale yellow….not unlike the glow of Kylo's bedroom where he- _Oh. Dear. Gods. Why_!?

She shrieked in frustration, tossing the dress aside in a fit of childish rage. She glared at the whole lot and wished that she could wipe the memories of the last night from her mind. She pulled multiple dresses from the closet, discarding each on the floor before she collapsed among the pile she had formed.

The door separating her room from Kylo's flew open as the man responsible for her plight charged in, looking around frantically before seeing her on the floor.

"I heard you yell." He panted, and she wanted to _die_ . He was half naked, for mercy's sake! All he had on were those _wretched_ sleep pants, and they were swung _entirely_ too low to be decent.

And those abs! Those muscles! Why did the fates torment her with this vision of masculinity when she knew that she had to stay away? There was something building within her, and she had no idea what to name it. 

"Rey? Rey, are you alright?" He sounded so _concerned_ for her. Like he actually _cared_. She forced herself to look up at him and meet his eye. She was going to tell him that she had tried to change her dress color and fail. It was embarrassing, but she would live.

"Do you have a shirt? A cloak or a cowl or something that you can put on?" She demanded roughly instead. He blinked and seemed to come to a conclusion about what she was saying. 

He flushed and looked away, reaching out to snag a blanket to wrap around his upper torso. "I apologize." He said a bit stiffly. "I thought you were hurt." She watched as he turned and hastily retreated back to his room, almost slamming the door.

Well, this was even worse. Now she felt guilty over snapping at him. And all he had done was come to see if she was in danger or injured. She sighed and slumped, berating herself over such foolishness.

She rose, and picked her way through to the door. She knocked and opened it tentatively to see Ben with his back to her as he tugged a shirt on. Hearing her come in, he froze. 

She padded over to him, the hem of her nightgown whispering across the floor. When she was close enough that she could trace his back with her fingertips (at which he shuddered a little), she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Ben." She apologized. "I was upset, and I took it out on you. Please forgive me." He turned and took her hands, caressing them with his own.

"Why were you upset?" He asked calmly. She shook her head and tried pulling away. "Rey, please. If it has something to do with your power, let me help." He cupped her face and tilted her head up to face him. "What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted, determined to leave it at that no matter what he said.

"It may have been all of the sleep you had before, but you seemed so tired. Was it the bed? The sheets? Maybe the nightgown?" She saw him glance down and his pupils dilate before he stopped speaking, swallowing hard.

She looked down and flushed at how exposed her breasts seemed to his eyes. The material was so sheer and she never noticed! Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly as she struggled to keep her composure. Judging by his intense focus on her, she knew she was failing.

"I think I understand." His voice broke through to her. His hands lowered to her hips and held her in place. He sounded so even, and it was infuriating her. "If you are feeling any particular...urges, it is completely normal. It happens to everyone...it can keep many people awake at night..."

She shuddered in horror as she understood what he was trying to say. "I may be a virgin, but I'm not _that_ naive!" She blustered in complete mortification. He appeared sheepish.

"I wasn't sure…" He trailed off. She snatched herself away from him and began to berate him.

"I'm not completely ignorant of those _urges_ , as you call them, nor am I a stranger to relieving them!" She did not dare to meet his eye as she thought of recent knowledge she had attained in regards to that very topic.

"Oh?" Suddenly he loomed over her as he bent down and gripped her chin between his fingers. "Do tell, little goddess. How would you know how to relieve them?" He purred. She gulped and stared breathlessly into his blown eyes.

Was this how he looked on Olympus? Were these eyes taken with lust and that mouth so tightly clenched as he tried to hold back from kissing her? Would he kiss her now?

"Rey." He growled lightly. She took a chance, and reached up to grab his hair between her fingers, twisting it to get a better grip. She found herself _wanting_ , and being this close to him...she wanted _more_...

"Ben." She exhaled, delighting at the full blown desire in his eyes when she called him that. She tugged his head down and slanted her lips across his in a bruising kiss.

He gripped her and lifted her in the air, raising her to be at his height as he plundered her mouth. She wrapped her legs around him and moaned as the fabric of her nightgown rubbed against her nipples.

He swallowed her moans as he began to walk them towards the nearest surface, which happened to be the wall. He pinned her there as he began sucking the skin on her neck between his teeth and nibbling it with his teeth. 

It was intoxicating-the feel of his arms holding her tightly, her back pressed against the wall as he marked her with lips and teeth and tongue. It was almost as if they were connected-his lust fueling hers and vice versa.

A part of her knew that she should protest this-while she was drawn to Ben, she knew that she wouldn't act this way with him like this….not so soon, not so quickly. Something wasn't right-something was wrong.

"Ben." She moaned, trying to get his attention. He had moved to the other side of her neck, lavishing as much attention to the skin there as he could. He hummed in response, not giving her any other reply as he was so focused on the task at hand.

It took every bit of inner fortitude that she had, but she eventually whimpered, "Stop". As soon as that word passed her lips, he lurched away and stood there panting. Even as he held himself back from her, she wanted so _badly_ for him to return, and it was quite the struggle to abstain herself.

His eyes were cloudy as he seemed to try and come back from the edge. His harsh panting filled the room until he began to settle. Rey had to admit that she was not much better. When he finally came back to himself, she saw disgust fill him, and her heart sank.

"Oh, gods." He whispered in horror. "Rey, what...what did I do?" He saw the bruises that were blossoming on her skin and he looked like he was about to be ill. "I didn't-I didn't mean to go this far." He began raking his hand through his hair wildly. She realized the disgust that he was feeling was towards himself.

"Ben-" She had no idea what to say. While she had been intrigued by him, she knew that it was far too soon for them to be acting this way...right? She honestly couldn't say if she even wanted him...and if he even wanted her. 

Could whatever happened last night be the cause of this? Was she responsible for him feeling this way for her? Had she...manipulated him in some way? Her mind was so clouded-thoughts continuously swirling as she kept asking the same questions over and over again.

"What happened to us? Why did we _do_ this?" He lifted a hand towards her in concentration and she watched as his face drained of all emotion as he struggled for control.

"What are you doing?" She stuttered, feeling him reach out towards her with his power...before he stopped and broke away with a gasp. She believed she knew what it was that had him so upset-she felt it too. She hadn't noticed until that moment, but they connected far too easily...as if they had never really been parted completely to begin with.

"We are bonded." He whispered in disbelief. She trembled as she wrapped her arms around herself to cover her breasts.

"Bonded? What does that mean?" She asked, because she knew she should.

He stared right through her, his mind a million miles away. "Bonded." He repeated hoarsely.

"Ben!" He blinked and seemed to take her in all at once.

"It must have been when you healed me." He realized. "We made a connection that never broke."

"It...it never broke?" So that explained the ease of them connecting. Rey was beginning to have a very bad feeling. "But...you can break it now, right?" He shook his head.

"I don't know how. I don't...I don't think it is possible."

"So what are you saying?" She asked nervously. "We're _stuck_ like this?"

He nodded. "I believe so."

"So...just a second ago...that was just...what, exactly?" 

"It was just a part of the bond. We both felt it, and it overwhelmed us. It could happen to anyone." With each word that came out of his mouth, he appeared to grow more and more miserable.

"It wasn't real?" She said, with a slight pang in her heart. He avoided looking at her as he nodded.

"Don't worry. I know...I know you don't feel that way." He said flatly as he tidied himself up and straightened before heading towards the door that led to the rest of the castle.

"Wait!" She cried out.

"I need to speak to Phasma." He bit out, reaching for the door handle. 

"If we bonded when I healed you, how do you explain Olympus?" He stopped and dropped his hand.

"Rey…" He sounded so sad. What could make him be so upset? Her heart twisted and she came up and embraced him from behind. He leaned his head forward and it thunked against the door.

"I liked kissing you. I know I shouldn't have...but I did." She confessed to his back, grateful they weren't facing one another. She didn't think she could be that brave otherwise. 

He exhaled shakily. "I thought...I thought it was just me. That my feelings had pushed themselves onto you and affected you."

"Maybe they did." His back muscles clenched as she mused. "But maybe I had a hand in it as well."

He groaned. "Rey, you shouldn't _say_ things like that."

"I liked it when you kissed me on Olympus...and I liked it when you kissed me just now. I don't like how we came to be this way, how we began. But…" Her breath caught.

"But?" He choked out.

"But...we're here now. And I might decide to stay and let you train me. Maybe...maybe we could spend time together? See what happens? Even if I decide to go home, we could still visit one another, right?"

He spun around and lifted her in his arms, burying his face in her hair. "I'd like that." He confessed tremulously. "I'd like that a lot."

She smiled into his neck. "Me too. But we, um...we probably shouldn't be _this_ close for a while." He pulled back and set her down on the floor.

"How do you mean?"

She blushed. "I would appreciate being able to look my mother in the eye and not feel guilty over my behavior."

He smirked and tucked her hair behind her ear before cupping her face. "We can't have that." 

"I'm serious, Kylo!" She said sternly. His eyes gleamed.

"Kylo again. And here I thought we had made such progress with Ben." He murmured.

"How can you joke about this?" She exclaimed in frustration. He bent so his forehead touched hers and he looked up through thick lashes to stare into her eyes.

"Because I thought you hated me. You have every reason to...more than most people do, in fact." He whispered. "But you liked kissing me, and you don't want us to be this close because you think we may do something that would cause you to feel guilty in front of your mother. Oh, _Rey_."

"And you took that to mean I don't hate you?"

"You aren't the type of person to kiss a man you hate. Not like that. Not with...not with that kind of passion." 

She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "I don't hate you...but I also don't love you." She needed him to know that-it was important, somehow.

"No." He agreed. "But perhaps you will. I'm not going anywhere, and I want to be honest with you."

"Honest about what?"

"I _want_ you. I want you _here_ with _me_."

"I am here with you."

He huffed. "Do you want me to say it?"

She opened her eyes and searched his. "Say what?" She asked innocently.

"Oh, little goddess. I shouldn't." He backed away, clenching his fists and watching her through narrow eyes.

"Say what?" She repeated. "You promised to be honest."

"Not about that." He promised darkly.

"Ben-" At hearing his name, he broke.

"I want you as my Queen. I want to crown you before all of Olympus so everyone knows you are _mine_ just as I am _yours_ . Every female would marvel at your beauty and every man would desire you. But you wouldn't be able to even _see_ them because you would only have eyes for _me_." 

He stalked towards her, backing her against the wall before he caged her within his arms. "I would bring you back here, to our kingdom. I would crown you before our subjects and allow them time to worship your radiance before I whisked you away to our room and our bed."

He leaned in and caught her ear between his teeth and pulled roughly before soothing the spot with a kiss. "I would keep you in our bed for hours...days... _weeks_ . I would be the supplicant before your body's alter, and I would tend to your every need. My Queen, you would never want to _look_ at another man because you would know that _nothing_ that anyone else would offer would even _compare_ to what we have."

He kissed her neck where he had bruised her and she felt him heal it. "I would do whatever you asked. I would bow for none but you. You would be my equal, my partner, my wife. I would love you until the end of time and still never think it would be enough, for you are the type of woman that transcends eternity."

As the words flowed from his lips like honey, Rey's mind spun at the utter want and devotion she heard in his voice. It boggled her mind that this powerful being, this _god_ , would want _her_ in such a way.

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls." She replied shakily.

He held her eyes and looked completely serious as he asked, "What girls?"

"You're Lord Hades, ruler of the Underworld." She argued. "You could have any woman you wanted. Any woman at all."

"I only want one. But she will have to want me too." He said lowly.

"What if she doesn't know what she wants? What if everything is happening so fast and she isn't sure what she feels?" She asked.

"You said you were willing to try. Did you mean that?" She nodded slowly. "Then that is enough for me for now."

"Just like that?"

"Yes, Rey. Just like that."

"You don't know me. You could change your mind." She protested weakly.

" _Never_." He promised harshly.

"We only just met. You don't know me." She repeated. He held her face between his hands.

"Then let me know you. Know _me_ . _Please_ , Rey." He begged. "Please, just give me a chance." 

"Why me?" And that was the question wasn't it? Why had he chosen her? Why did he want her?

"I-" Whatever it was he was about to tell her was lost as an incessant pounding came from the door.

"BENJAMIN SOLO! WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?" They both blanched at hearing Maz shouting through the door.

"My clothes! I have to go change!" Rey whispered in horror. She slipped through his arms and fled for her room, their conversation temporarily forgotten in the wake of Maz Kanata's arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hides) (Pokes head out) Sooooooooo......yes? No? Haha I hope it was okay.
> 
> Dude....Kylo/Ben going in for broke here. And yeah, he was TOTALLY about to fess up about the vision, but Mama Maz kinda "truthblocked" him here. Oh well...maybe next time. (Shrug)
> 
> Please make sure to leave a comment and let me know how it is going! Feedback helps me with the story!
> 
> Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!
> 
> <3


	12. You Are So Beautiful To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux goes to collect a soul and makes an interesting discovery....but someone is always watching. In the Underworld, Kylo has a case of "Fight or Flight".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY this took so long. I have recently discovered the addiction that is Facebook Gaming...and I have kinda been bogged down on annihilating at what is essentially the Online version of the board game "Sorry!". That, and binging Lucifer and Teen Wolf. (I regret nothing!)
> 
> Title is from a song I found on Youtube- "You Are So Beautiful" (feat. Brooke) A Dark Cinematic Cover//Produced by Tommee Profitt
> 
> CHAPTER WARNING:Minor character death. Kinda angsty. May be a bit triggering if you have lost a loved one. Please be cautious about reading!
> 
> More stuff to come...but read the chapter first! (And don't forget to leave a comment or kudos! Thanks!)

A human was about to die. Hux was always able to tell-there was a slight quickening of his heart and a tingle down his spine. He didn't always tend to the reaping of their souls-that was what delegation was for, after all. But...he wanted to get away from the Underworld for a bit, and going to the human's world gave him a bit of a reprieve.

The human in question lived in a little hovel nestled against the edge of the woods. He sneered slightly in disgust over the ramshackle building-he never understood why humans insisted on living in such squalor.

Did humans not have two hands? Access to tools? Were they unable or unwilling to learn how to better their own lives, or were they simply too lazy to do so? Regardless, it didn't mean much in the end...so perhaps that was why most never bothered.

He glided past an array of tools left outside to face the elements (he tutted over the foolishness), and he made sure his hood was firmly covering his hair before he reached the door. It wouldn't do for any prying eyes to see what he had worked so hard to keep hidden. Honestly, if it weren't for Dameron making such a mockery of the contrast between his fiery locks and his pale face, he would not bother.

It was not as if the dead would spill the secret of the man who did little to resemble the macabre figure of death they had imagined him to be. Most chose not to see beyond what they imagined...a skeletal and hooded monster-that was all anyone ever saw him as. For once, he wished that someone would just see him as he was, and not as what they perceived him to be.

He sighed. There was very little sense in wasting time on such useless musings. He had a soul to collect, after all. And he was not one for untimely collections-there had to be an order kept, lest all fell to chaos. He reached out a hand and pushed lightly on the door, making his way inside the little hut. He turned his attention towards the bed in the corner, and froze.

It wasn't the human that gave him pause-to be honest, there wasn't much remarkable about the man for Hux to give any thought to. The only thing of interest about the shriveled old thing was the goddess who sat clutching his hand.

"Oh, my sweet Elena." The old man croaked feebly. "I am nearly with you, my dearest."

The goddess soothed him, stroking a hand down his wizened head. "Shhh, Mikael. I'm here."

Hux couldn't tear his eyes away from the two. He did not think he had ever heard of a goddess named "Elena" before. And this was no minor being-he could sense the power coming off of her in waves. She was casting quite an illusion over the old man...but why?

He squinted, trying to determine who she was from the back. All he could see was dark hair, and a womanly body draped with a satiny gown. He came closer, making sure his footsteps were a bare murmur against the floor so as not to disturb the two.

"Mikael…I think it is time." She startled him-how did she know he was there? She took her eyes off of Mikael and glanced towards him. As soon as she turned away from the man, he blinked blearily up at her.

"You are not my Elena." He whispered.

"No, I am not." She had her eyes on Hux, but spoke to Mikael.

"Who…?" She took a leathery hand in hers and kissed it gently.

"Do you not know me, Mikael? Have you not blessed and cursed me in measure all your life?" She asked him sadly.

"My lady, forgive me. I do not know you." He rasped painfully.

"How cruel. Did I not hear your prayer all those years ago? Did I not bless you with a wife who adored you above all others, and bore you your sons?" 

He pulled his hand away and clutched his chest as tears began to drip from his eyes. "My beautiful Elena died giving birth to one of those sons. My sons all died in war. Tell me, dear lady, how you have blessed me. Loving them was a curse given to me by the gods."

The goddess drilled him with a fierce gaze. "I am not the goddess of childbirth. I am not the god of war. You blamed me for granting you great love and seemingly taking it away. I was not responsible for their fates. Nobody was-they just fell victim to the cruelty that life can sometimes be."

"Then why are you here? To torment me in my final hour? To offer weak comfort with the image of my dear Elena...only to sour the experience by exposing it all as a cruel farce?" He panted angrily.

"No, Mikael. I only sought to give you hope in your final moments. Your Elena waits for you. Your sons await their father. Do not die with such bitterness in your soul, or you may risk not seeing them again." 

"Who are you, to lecture me so?" He asked shakily.

"I am known by many names, dear one. Here, I am known as Aphrodite." He paled and began to weep weakly.

"Forgive me, goddess." He begged. "Please, I just want to be with my family again."

"That is not for her to decide." Hux interjected, striding forward. Mikael turned to him and trembled at the sight of Hux's burning blue eyes.

"Death has come for me." Mikael shuddered.

"Shhh, Mikael. Death may have come, but he is not cruel or kind. He just is. Look at me, Mikael." She whispered. Mikael turned his face helplessly towards her and smiled in relief.

"My Elena." He sighed. "I'm ready now, my love. I pray that my sins do not keep me from you and our boys." 

Hux reached around her and touched a slender finger to the man's chest. Tapping three times, then pulling as the two watched the soul leave the body in a rattled exhale.

Aphrodite stood and faced the soul of the man who had been known as Mikael. No longer was he a weak old man, but was a slender youth-barely out of boyhood. The soul knelt and bowed to her.

"Forgive me, gracious goddess. You were right-I blamed you for so much when I should have thanked you for all of the blessings you had given me. I did not live the best life I could have, and now I go to face the punishment I have earned."

She held up a hand. "There was nothing to forgive, Mikael. We are all fools in love." She held out a hand to the shade and invited him to rise. After doing so, she placed three incandescent pearls in his hand. Even though he had no body to hold them, the pearls did not fall.

"What-"

"Offer these to Lord Hades. Tell him your story and ask him for mercy." She advised. "Something tells me you may be lucky in this endeavor." Mikael stammered his thanks and Hux banished him to the gates of the Underworld where Snoke awaited to carry him across the river.

He turned to her thunderously. "What. Was. That." He demanded harshly. She blinked innocently at him and he narrowed his eyes into slits.

The goddess of love was...alluring, he supposed. She certainly seemed confident in her beauty if the way she was fluttering her eyelashes up at him was any indication.

"The god who collects the dead." She whispered breathlessly. He frowned down at her, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asked after a moment, noticing how she was practically drilling a hole in his head with the intensity of her stare.

"Why isn't it working?" She asked bewilderingly. Her fingers stretched out towards him, only to be stopped by him grasping her hand.

"Why isn't _what_ working?"

"I appeal to the sexual attraction in all beings. No one can deny me." She looked worried. "What's _wrong_ with you?"

He bristled. "There is nothing wrong with me. Perhaps the fault lies with _you_ , and not _me_."

She shook her head. "No...that isn't it. My gifts are working fine-Mikael was testament to that." She pursed her lips. "I really think it is you."

"So it is my fault that I am not slobbering all over you like some lust-ridden beast, is that it?" He asked, affronted.

"Do you not find me attractive?" She questioned. He glared at her.

"I find you physically beautiful, yes. But you are rude and have very little regard for protocol." He stated stiffly.

"Protocol?" She laughed.

"Giving some random soul items like that for him to try and use to barter with Lord Hades was wrong of you to do. Souls are not judged by gifts or bribes. They are judged for the life they have lived-that man confessed his was not worth much. The best he can hope for is to wander the Fields of Asphodel."

She became angry and he watched as each word he spoke caused her face to grow more irritated until she could bear no more. "Did you not hear how much he had lost? Was he not deserving of compassion? He had to suffer through the deaths of the ones he holds most dear! How can you be so cruel?"

He sneered at her. "To quote you earlier, 'Death is not cruel or kind. He just is.' I believe the question that should be asked is how can you be so naive?"

"Naive?" She said tensely.

"Yes, Naive! Not to mention arrogant! Lord Hades, if he even is the one to oversee Mikael's judgement, will consider what you did impertinent. I was wrong-Mikael would probably not be lucky enough to go to the Fields. Lord Hades would probably just banish him to Tartarus just to make an example of him!"

She blanched and backed away, wringing her hands in distress. "I had to try." She whispered. He watched in dismay as tears began to drip slowly from her eyes, leaving trails that glistened on her cheeks. He sighed, the anger draining from him.

"Why is this one human so important to you?" He asked. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked away from him. She went over to the bed where the cooling corpse of Mikael lay prone. It didn't seem to bother her though-she smoothed his wizened hair back away from his face with a tenderness that could only come from love.

"He was more than just some random worshiper, wasn't he?"

"His mother was very devout. She would come and pray to me every day while pregnant with Mikael. She told me she cared not for if he was the strongest or the bravest, for such men are often foolish and go off to war. She only wanted for him to grow well, and be happy." 

"Didn't he? You said you gave him a wife, and that he had sons."

"But he also lost them. I have known Mikael since he was conceived. I have shadowed him every step of his life, and I feel as if I failed him." She began shaking as she wept. He swept off his cloak and draped it around her, refusing to meet her eyes as she looked up at him in confusion.

"He was like a son to you." He observed quietly.

"Yes." 

He crouched down and held her hands within his own. "I can promise you nothing. But...I will speak to Lord Hades." He mumbled.

"You will? Why?" Blinking tears away, she squeezed his hands tightly.

"As foolishly as you acted, you did so out of love. I am not so...cruel...that I would not understand that."

She stroked a hand through his hair, and he tensed; afraid that she would say something about it now that it was exposed to her. "I never knew Death could be so beautiful." She murmured.

He twitched. "No need for useless flattery. I already told you I would help."

"Why would complimenting you be useless? You have lovely hair. And fascinating eyes." She cupped his face, forcing him to look up and meet her gaze. "But the most important thing about you, is the compassion I see when I look at you."

He scoffed. "Such a word is wasted on me." He told her.

"You offered to help me because you saw the pain I felt about Mikael. My abilities would have meant nothing-I would have been unable to force you. Yet...you offered, freely and without me asking. You are kind. And compassionate." She said fiercely.

He exhaled and chuckled under his breath. "Who am I to argue with such a powerful goddess, then?" He asked, giving up and smiling at her.

She tweaked his nose. "If I was really powerful, I would be able to fix whatever is wrong with you." He batted her hand away and glared at her twinkling laughter.

"I take it back." He gritted. "Not powerful-annoying. Very annoying." He stood, making his way back to the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked in surprise.

He glanced back toward her and said, "I have duties to perform. And we should leave before any mortals discover us here." She stroked a hand once more down Mikael's body, before rising and trailing after him...making sure not to look back.

Together they walked outside, making quite an odd pair if any were to happen to see them. Without his cloak, Hux made quite the striking figure in his dark uniform that contrasted with his alabaster skin, fiery hair, and gleaming blue eyes set in a stern face.

His companion was a different story-Hux's cloak hugged her body tightly, held in her rigid grip that clasped the fabric as if to draw strength from it. Her face still bore the tracks of her grief, tiny crystalline proof of her loss. Her hair, which had been held up in a loose bun, had fallen out and now tumbled around her face. 

"I must leave you now." He said, rigidly bowing to her. She nodded and made to take off the cloak to return to him when he stayed her hand. "Keep it." He ordered softly.

"Keep the cloak of Death? What powers will it grant me, I wonder?" She teased gently.

He snorted. "As if I would put any power into something that could be lost, stolen, or destroyed." He scoffed.

"Or given away?" She lifted an eyebrow in amusement. He told himself he was _not_ going to blush, and especially not at this woman.

"Precisely." He nodded sharply. She drew the cloak closer, a feat he didn't even know possible, and smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you, Lord Death." She said gratefully. He reached out, unable to stop himself, and drew the cloak so the hood was nestled over her hair. He pulled a handkerchief from a random pocket and gently shook it out from its rigid form. He held it up to her face and wiped her tears until he realized what he was doing and flushed.

"I...um…" He stammered. And what a thing it was! To stammer at a _woman_ of all things. And for what-because she smiled at him, and gave him empty compliments? Bah! He was about to withdraw and retreat from this madness before he felt delicate fingers press against his hand on her cheek.

"Forgive me. I am sure I look quite a fright." She tangled their fingers together and pulled them away from her face, bringing them down until they were between the two...with the handkerchief held by both.

"Right, well. It could be worse, I suppose." He left the handkerchief within her fingers and began walking away from her.

"Wait!" She stopped him. "Will I see you again?" 

He whirled around and gaped at her. "You would want to?" He asked, confused.

"I think I would. Is that alright?" She quirked her lips in a smile that spoke of secrets. Secrets Hux was sure would be the gratification and ruination of any man who dared uncover them.

"Why would the goddess of love and beauty wish to spend time with the god of death?"

She stepped towards him and paused. "Most people-most men-spend time with me because they desire what they believe to be the pinnacle of the female body. It's...it's refreshing to meet someone who isn't. I would-I would really like to know a man like that. I would like to know you."

He snorted under his breath. "And find out what is wrong with me, I imagine?"

"Perhaps the fault lies with me, and not you. There is more to life, to _love_ , than sexual attraction." She grinned at his gobsmacked expression. "Who knows," she continued delicately, "perhaps I may learn a thing or two from Death."

"Death and a beautiful goddess spending time together? People will talk." He warned and watched as she shrugged.

"I am willing to risk it if you are." She suddenly curtsied before him. "I am Aphrodite, but I go by Paige Tico. I would be delighted if we could be friends."

"Are you always this odd?" He snapped self consciously.

"Sometimes. But you will get used to it."

"Oh I will, will I?" She laughed at how resigned he was. "Fine." He exhaled. "I am Thanatos, but my name is Armitage Hux. Most people call me Hux."

"Hmm. May I call you Armitage?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's a very nice name." She defended.

"If you must." He allowed.

"Well. I hope to see you soon, Armi!" She guffawed at how his face pinched at the nickname. 

"I regret this already." He moaned, twisting and rushing away from her.

"I enjoyed meeting you, Armi!" Her voice reached him before he popped away back to the Underworld.

Hidden from her, he reflected on her final farewell. Against all reason, and definitely against his better judgment, he supposed that he had enjoyed meeting her as well. At that realization, he grew red as a tomato and shook himself to rid his mind of such foolish sentiment. 

After all, he very much doubted that their paths would cross again. For he was Death; and what was she….but a beguiling Maiden?

***************************************************

Paige's mind reeled with everything that had happened, and in such a short amount of time! Her heart clenched at remembering how she had lost poor Mikael, and she prayed that Armitage was able to speak with Hades and soften any transgressions she had made. 

She knew that she should not have interfered, but she could not pass up the opportunity to help the ones she loved. Mikael had had a very hard life...he deserved to be with his Elena and their sons in death.

Death….Death. He was not what she was expecting. Oh, she knew that he would most likely be dour and strict, but she was unprepared for how...oddly sweet he was. She fingered the fabric she held even now, secretly admiring the softness and warmth it still contained from his body.

He had softened towards her, and he hadn't acted like any other man she had met. She had never seen someone not affected by her allure, and it was delightfully refreshing to just...be herself. She had not had to put on any kind of act, or use any feminine wiles to tempt him. All she had to do...was ask. What an intriguing experience.

While she had originally thought to befriend him in order to gain access to the Underworld, and more importantly Rey, now she…. _wanted_. It was a bit wrong, but she had to see more about this man that all mortal men fear.

Armitage Hux. Armi. She smirked as she continued to caress the cloak he had given her. What a mystery, he was. What a _challenge_ …..

***************************************************

Poe Dameron was many things to many people: ladies man, musician, healer, bringer of sunlight, etc. While he was perceived by nearly everyone as some idiot, he prided himself on being more perceptive and cunning than people gave him credit for. 

After all, who would they be more willing to confide their secrets to: the fun-loving charmer, or the brilliant strategic brain he believed himself to be? It was because of his well-groomed reputation that allowed guards to be lowered. And what he had just witnessed was interesting….very interesting. Now, what were Paige and Hux up to? It certainly couldn't be anyone else-he would recognize that bright mop of hair anywhere. 

Not to mention the pull he felt towards the goddess of love. What he wouldn't give for a tumble between the sheets with _her_ …especially with how light her hair has been getting lately. Not as flaming red as Hux's...but a beautiful bright orange to match her entrancing pixie features…

(He ignored why Paige resembled a certain little spitfire of a goddess. He was sure it didn't mean anything-he was just feeling partial to those physical attributes at the moment. For no particular reason….none at all….none whatsoever. Right? Right.)

Still...regardless, one of them was up to something. And if it had anything to do with that pretty little goddess of spring...he would need to have a talk with Paige later. He could be quite the rascal, but he wasn't going to abandon his duties so soon in the morning...not even for such a tantalizing opportunity.

High up above the world in his golden chariot, he searched inside himself for the bond he and his twin shared-a connection they had developed long ago. They were two halves of the same coin-day and night, bound by their love and respect for one another.

He would do anything for his twin, and knew that she would do the same. They kept very little from one another, and he knew she would be able to investigate what he had seen while he was bringing sunlight to the world.

_Sis_.

_What is it? I'm hunting._

He smiled. _You'll never guess what I just saw. Need you to look into it for me, see what's up._

She sighed, and it echoed around his mind. _What have you done now?_

_Kaydel. How could I do anything while up here?_ He thought in amusement.

_It's you_. She responded dryly.

_You wound me, sister. However, this time it's got nothing to do with me._

_Then perhaps we should leave well enough alone._ She suggested bluntly.

_Not when it involves Hux and Paige_. He argued. Her interest sharpened and he grinned, knowing that he had her. Regardless of what most everyone thought, the goddess of the hunt and the goddess of love were actually on pretty good terms.

He knew that she would take this seriously, as none of them trusted any of the denizens of the Underworld...except, for perhaps, Phasma. But after the stunt Hades had pulled...it really was a shame to have to be against her now. He had seen how his twin had enjoyed speaking-flirting-with the goddess at Kore's celebration.

_I will see what I can find out_. She interjected into his musings.

_Be careful, little sister_. He teased.

_Of the two of us, I believe you should be more worried for yourself_ . She responded. _Are you even paying attention to the horses_?

He cursed, realizing that she was right, and cut their connection to the sound of her laughter in his head. He pouted, as he knew he would be hearing that for the rest of the day.

***************************************************

Kylo was going to have to fire someone. Yes, that was it-he had to focus on anything he could in order to calm...certain parts of him…down. He did not think he would be able to show his face anywhere again if Maz Kanata saw the tightness in his pants for her daughter.

So, firing someone. Yes, he had to fire all of the dunderheads who thought it would be a good idea to bring Kanata to his PRIVATE chambers and have her interrupt him FINALLY confessing to Rey about the vision he experienced in his dream. Maybe firing was too good for them….perhaps tossing them in Tartarus would do the trick.

Definitely Tartarus. By the gods, he was tempted to go there himself if it meant he would be far enough away from the lungs on this blasted, infernal woman. He should see if he could bottle her screeching and use it as a means of torture-he certainly wouldn't want to be the poor fool forced to endure _that_ for eternity.

"BENJAMIN SOLO. OPEN THIS DOOR!" For such a tiny woman, she had quite the set of lungs on her. He snarled as he made sure he was somewhat presentable before yanking open the door.

BeeBee and Maz were standing in front of the door-BeeBee flicking her eyes between the two rapidly, while Maz huffed and gave him a look that would freeze the warmest soul in Tartarus. Behind them were servants who watched with widened eyes and were whispering amongst one another. (Those were the culprits-he made a note to deal with them later.)

"Where is my daughter?" She seethed, crossing her arms and tapping her foot angrily against the floor.

He ignored her and addressed the servants in a voice laced with steel, "Has Lady Demeter's things been settled into one of our guest suites?" Rapid nods and murmurs of assent graced the corridor.

"We would have waited, but Maz was really anxious to see Rey." BeeBee blurted with a blush.

He spared her a glance. "So I see. And in the process of doing so, the two of you thought it best to come to my private quarters and cause a commotion that has disturbed the people in my palace?"

"Are you attempting to lecture me on the etiquette of a guest, boy?" Maz asked stonily. "Be careful of the stones you throw when you live in a glass house."

"Careful, Lady Demeter. You _are_ here as my guest. And I can invite you to _leave_ as easily as I invited you to _stay_." He threatened.

"Do so boy, and risk a war on your head. I will strangle you in your sleep if you force me out of here before I see my daughter."

"Okay!" BeeBee cut in, seeing the two looking as if they were about to maul the other. "Please, Lord Hades. May I see Rey before I go? I'm afraid I can't stay very long...and I had wanted to give her something before I left."

He broke the silent battle of wills he was waging against Kanata and gave BeeBee his undivided attention. "What is it?" He inquired, struggling to calm down so that he wouldn't lose his temper and throttle Kanata in the hallway.

She withdrew a pot from a bag that appeared over her shoulder. Inside was a tiny bud, barely peeking from the soil. "I found this plant struggling to grow in the shade of a mighty oak. I thought Rey would appreciate having something to remind her of home."

He blinked and relaxed at the thought. She would like it-and she could keep it in her rooms. He nodded and hid a smile at the way BeeBee brightened and thanked him. (Neither noticed how closely Kanata watched him...nor how puzzled she seemed at him allowing BeeBee to give Rey the plant.)

"I'm sure Lady Kore will be very thankful." He said. He snapped out to the servants, "Are the kitchens done with breakfast?"

"I-I believe so, your majesty." One brave soul stuttered. He hit him with an icy glare, secretly enjoying how uncomfortable it made the servant.

"Prepare at least...six settings at the guest suites' dining room. The one you set up Lady Demeter in. Send an invitation to Phasma and Hux, if they wish to dine with us." The servants bowed, before rushing quickly away.

"Six?" BeeBee asked. "If you are including me, I'm afraid I can't stay that long. Things to do, people to see, messages to deliver." 

"The sixth is there in case someone unexpected joins us." He explained absentmindedly, tracking the last of the servants as they disappeared around the corner.

"Hmph." He wanted to go right back into his room and shut the door...especially if it meant he didn't have to stand here being subjected to the judging eyes of one Maz Kanata.

"I trust you are hungry, Lady Demeter." He said politely.

"My appetite vanished the moment I discovered a vile scoundrel had broken onto my lands and kidnapped my only daughter." She replied snippily.

His fists clenched and he wished mentally for the strength he needed not to shatter and go after the tiny woman. He really needed Rey to come out of her rooms and distract Kanata from her campaign to infuriate him.

_Rey…...Where Are You?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooooooooo....when I started writing the chapter, it was just gonna be Mama Maz and Reylo. Somehow it ended up being more about Hux and Paige. Or, as they will now be known in my mind and in the story: Death and the Maiden. (Paige doesn't seem the type to casually sleep around, so she is a Virgin too. Lmao...but for how long, amiright?)
> 
> Mikael was meant to be a throwaway character that I mentioned was there and died while Paige said farewell. He sort of became his own person. Rooting for you, Mikael! Really hope my fingers don't type out a screwed up ending for you! 😬
> 
> I do hope you all enjoy my representation of the LGBTQ+ community in this story! For those not noticing, or haven't paid attention, here is what I have so far:
> 
> Phasma:Lesbian  
> Kaydel:Lesbian  
> Obi-Won:Bisexual  
> Maul:Gay  
> Hux:Demisexual (That's right-Hux won't experience sexual attraction until after he develops some serious feelings for Paige. At first I was going to have Hux just fall in love with her at first sight, but I like how this works out a LOT better...for reasons that shall be revealed in the future.)
> 
> ***This isn't to say that these are all the characters that will be LGBTQ+! These are just the ones I have revealed so far***
> 
> Hopefully it will not take me so long to write the next chapter. I have so many things I want to include in the story....and it is already so long at only 12 chapters. Hahaha oh well. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> ❤😘


	13. Just Take My Hand, And Hold It Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories, Tension, Plans. Literal feels. (It's late and summaries are hard. Lol no spoilers-just read)
> 
> WARNING:Mentions of Child abuse/neglect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song title is from "You'll Be in My Heart" By Merche Macaria and Phil Collins-it fits perfectly with the chapter and you will find out why
> 
> I have a new Beta! AstraBlack is amazing and I am SO thankful to have met her. She kindly helped me make edits for chapters 1-12, so if you happen to do a reread and notice anything different....that's why!
> 
> Apologies for this chapter taking as long as it has. At first I couldn't start it and then once it finished there were some issues I needed to polish. Hoping to have the next one up soon!
> 
> Oh! Nearly forgot-THANK YOU for everyone who has read the story, written a comment, and/or left kudos!!!! You guys are AWESOME and I am so thankful to be a part of this fandom!💗

As soon as she had closed the door, Rey yanked off the nightgown; swearing when it tore. Completely rattled over Maz's early appearance,  _ especially _ right outside Ben's door, she frantically grabbed a random dress off the pile on the floor.

She tugged the gown over her head and smoothed it down her body, trying anxiously to hurry back. She darted through the door separating her and Ben's chambers, rushing up behind him still standing in the doorway.

"What's going on?" She inquired, touching his shoulder and feeling him relax under her hand.

"Rey?" Maz called. She sounded so worried, which made Rey a completely despicable person for not trying harder to get back to her mother. She slipped around Ben and collapsed to her knees before Maz. Wrapping her arms in a tight embrace around the woman that had raised her, Rey struggled vainly not to cry.

"I'm fine, mama." She choked in a whisper. Maz stroked Rey's hair and shook in relief. They stayed that way for a time, both needing the assurance the other provided.

"Hi, Rey." A normally spirited voice said hesitantly. Rey pulled away from Maz, stood, and whirled to see BeeBee.

"Bee!" Rey hugged her friend, overjoyed to see Bee here with Maz. "I'm so happy to see you!" 

The goddess drew back. "I'm so sorry it took so long." Bee apologized, squeezing Rey's hand with a smile. "But I have a present for you!" At that, Rey's hands were suddenly occupied with a small pot and a tiny shoot rising from the soil.

"Bee, thank you. It's  _ perfect _ ." And it was-for what little Rey had seen of the Underworld, there had been a lack of...well...life. Not surprising, given where they were. Still, it was nice to have a reminder of home. She only hoped that the little bud would be able to grow there.

"Forgive me, ladies." Kylo's voice interrupted smoothly. "Breakfast will be ready soon, and I know Lady Hermes must be on her way."

Bee gave Rey an apologetic shrug. "I do." She said dejectedly, drooping at the thought. Rey sighed and nodded her head.

"I don't envy your duties," She told the sweet goddess, "but I will miss you very much. Visit soon?" Neither girl noticed how Maz and Kylo had honed in on their farewell. Kylo in slight awe and triumph; Maz in disbelief before she controlled her expression.

"Bye, Rey. I'll see you soon!" Bee chirped brightly, significantly happier now that she had seen Rey was alright. (Especially after how Rey had been the last time BeeBee had seen her-in Lord Hades bed.) She left with a wave and a poof, white feathers floating in the air.

The three deities left behind all glanced at each other. Unnerved by the quiet, and the extremely noticeable tension between Maz and Kylo, Rey cleared her throat loudly.

"I am pretty hungry." She chuckled awkwardly. Unable to look at either of the immortals studying her, she turned her attention to the plant in her hands. "I'll go put this away and we can go eat?"

"No need." Kylo said hastily, waving his hand across the pot. Her gift vanished, and Rey peered up at him to see his jaw clenched. "It's in your room." He muttered quietly.

Rey wanted to ask what was wrong-what had happened to have Kylo so wound up like this? She already knew that the situation was difficult enough as is, but was not looking forward to enduring the animosity between her foster mother and her...um. Her...Ben?

She had no idea what to refer to him as. He wasn't her king, nor husband. He had been her abductor, but surely that was no longer applicable as Kylo was making a sincere effort to make amends. Rey felt certain enough that if she truly wanted to leave, he would let her.

So, not abductor. Bonded? No, that sounded as if they were...intimate. Anyway, there were more important things to focus on-like how Kylo was being distant right now. 

Rey extended her consciousness and felt it brush against his.  _ Peace _ . She thought gently. He jolted slightly, and her eyes widened as the realization came that he had heard her.

Their eyes locked. A dark tendril delicately nuzzled her mind, encasing Rey mentally in a warm embrace. It was  _ powerful _ -even the tiny amount that was extended was wielded with such precision that left her speechless over his control.

_ All you need is a teacher _ . The thought echoed and teased as he withdrew, leaving nothing behind but a parting caress. She blinked owlishly up at him, awed at what had just transpired. The corner of his mouth lifted, amused.

A pointed cough had Rey spinning to face Maz. "I thought you were hungry?" The little woman prodded. 

"Yes! Hungry! Completely famished!" Rey nodded, valiantly struggling to contain her blush.

"Follow me." Kylo bid, taking off down the hall with purposeful strides. The pair trailed behind, eyes fixed on his back.

***************************************************

_ "Do you ever have nightmares?" _

_ Maz squinted up from her knitting to see her new houseguest standing at the bottom of the steps, wiping eyes and hugging herself. _

_ "I think we all have nightmares sometimes." She told the little girl, holding out a hand and beckoning her closer. Rey shuffled forward, stopping just outside of Maz's reach. _

_ "What are your nightmares about?" Rey asked quietly. _

_ "Mmm. I had one last night where Lando's head turned into a pumpkin." Rey giggled a little at that. _

_ "That's not a nightmare!" _

_ Maz leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "The nightmare was when the head grew back."  _

_ They both laughed, Rey relaxing until she dropped down into the chair beside Maz. "Can I stay here for a while?" The child inquired. _

_ "I wouldn't say no to some company." Maz smiled. The two sat together in the soft glow of light, Rey silently watching as Maz continued clacking away with her needles, a blanket forming before their eyes. _

_ "I'll work hard for you." Maz stilled and looked over to see Rey tremble a bit. "I won't be any trouble. I'll earn my keep-I swear." _

_ "Dear one, why are you saying these things? Do I strike you as the kind of woman who needs help?" She held up a finger and pointed it at Rey. "I may be little myself, but I manage around here just fine." _

_ "I don't want to go." The girl mumbled, looking away as tears filled her little eyes. _

_ "And you believe I will send you away if you don't...pull your weight around here?" Maz puzzled out, heart clenching at this tiny poor creature so unused to kindness and common decency that she believed she had to earn her keep in order to remain. _

_ "That's what Plutt always said."  _

_ Maz straightened. "And who is Plutt?" She prodded, a cold rage filling and burning through her body. _

_ "He's this man that would feed us if we did things for him. Stole items he wanted or listened in on people talking and telling him about it. He's-he's not a very nice man."  _

_ Maz set the knitting aside and hopped down off her chair before approaching Rey. She took and rubbed her hands within her own gently. "I will never let you go hungry. I will never ask for you to do something you are against, and I will never make your stay here conditional. Do you know what that means?" _

_ "No." Such an innocent little thing. _

_ "It means that you owe me nothing to stay here. Lando wanted you to remain here because he thinks we would fit well together, and I agree. I will raise you, if you'd like. I could be a mother to you." _

_ "I already have a mother." Rey snatched her hands away and shook.  _

_ Maz regarded her. "We all have a mother that birthed us. Sometimes though, we have different mothers: those that carried and had us, and those who raise us. Both are important and neither holds any less value than the other. I would be honored if you would consider me as the latter, but if you cannot bear to think of me as such, I shall always be a friend to you." _

_ "I don't wanna forget her." It came as a terrified whisper, a shameful secret. Maz stroked her hair and smiled sadly. _

_ "You never will. Just remember, sweet girl-it doesn't do to cling to the past so tightly that we miss living in the here and now. The belonging you seek is not behind, but ahead. This place is your home now...for as long as you wish. " _

_ "Forever?" _

_ "Forever is a long time, darling. You will feel differently one day. But I promise, as long as you wish, my home is yours." _

_ Rey blinked sleepily at her and snuggled into the chair, curling up and tucking her feet beneath her. "You'd make a good mama. Why don't you have any kids?" _

_ Blink. "I never met anyone who caught my eye, and I'm a bit of a hermit. Just never had the opportunity, I suppose." _

_ They were both quiet for a time before Maz retreated back to her little corner. Climbing back into her chair, she took up her needles and began clacking away to fill the silence.  _

_ A sleepy voice on the edge of unconsciousness piped up, startling Maz as she had believed the girl had passed out. "I think I'd like you as a mama." _

_ Maz waited until the child's breaths had evened out before draping the now finished blanket over the girl to keep her warm. "I think I'd like that too." She whispered, the truth ringing in the quiet of their little haven. _

_ *************************************************** _

Phasma was having a bit of a late start that morning. It really wasn't her fault-using her magic extensively yesterday should have led to an early night with a long and rejuvenating sleep.

And while there had been a chance for a nap in Kylo's room, it had not been enough to replenish her strength. And as soon as she had left the king's chambers, she had been called away by her acolytes for aid in a particularly harrowing spell that kept her up well into the night. She had only managed to snatch a few hours rest before receiving summons to breakfast. (Really though, with how late the hour was, it should be considered more the afternoon meal than the morning one). 

She was no fool though-she knew why Kylo needed her there so badly. Phasma had heard the whispers from the servants about Lady Demeter and Lady Hermes arriving. Kylo must be out of his mind with panic right now, the poor sod.

_ "I've never met anyone like her before, Phas. There's this, this purity to her that I can't help but be drawn to." _

_ She and Kylo were plowing through several bottles of the  _ good _ stuff as he tried to summon the nerve to return to his chambers and the sleeping goddess that awaited him. _

_ "Is that why you took her?" What a loaded question. Any way he tried to justify it, Phasma saw the truth; he had absolutely no sound reason for taking her, except for the most dangerous one: he loved her. _

_ Love. At any other time Phasma would rejoice that Kylo had managed to feel so deeply about another person. She saw how lonely he was, how much he wished that things were different. How much they  _ both _ wished the situation could change. _

_ "I-I...don't know." He gazed into the bottle as if it held all the answers. "I can't think around her." _

_ "You only just met her." Phasma pointed out. Not that it meant much; after all, she was experiencing the same feelings for that little moon goddess. Were her emotions less credible than his? He at least got to speak and spend time with the woman of his affection. She and Kaydel had had no time at all… _

_ "I'm not the only one to be enamoured of an Olympian goddess, I see." He observed, knowing her too well. _

_ "I, at least, did not kidnap the woman I fancy." She defended, stealing the bottle and draining it dry. _

_ "Fuck." He popped open another bottle and drained half the contents in one go. "We've been alive too long. Our tolerance is too high-I can barely feel this." _

_ Phasma chuckled. "We finished off the Olympian wine a little while ago. This swill is from the mortal realm-practically water." _

_ "And why in Tartarus are we drinking what is essentially flavored water, Phas?" He grumbled. _

_ "Because you need to man up and go speak with her, genius." She replied. "If it helps at all, I'm rooting for you." _

_ He rolled his head on his shoulder and squinted at her. "You are?" _

_ She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you idiot. I want you to be happy." And she did-he deserved every ounce of happiness in the world after all they had been through. "You deserve someone who loves you." _

_ He scoffed. "She doesn't love me." _

_ "No. No, she doesn't. You hid your identity and kidnapped her from her home. That certainly won't win you any goodwill with the girl. So show her that you aren't some faceless monster behind a mask. Show her  _ you _." _

_ He swallowed hard. "What if she doesn't like what she sees? What if Rey hates me?"  _

_ Phasma regarded him seriously. "My king, if she is even half the woman you make her out to be, I firmly believe she will come around. She isn't the type of person to toy with someone's feelings. Just give her time, Kylo. Be honest with her. Everything else will fall into place." _

_ He sighed. "I hope so, Phas. I really hope so." _

"I hope so too." She whispered to the ceiling before rising to get ready.

***************************************************

The dining table was laden with food. Kylo was thankful that the kitchens had provided such a bounty, as he wanted to make sure that Rey had enough to eat. He had no intention of repeating last night's mistake. It was only after he had taken a seat that he noticed Chewie had entered behind them.

"Chewie!" Rey's voice was filled with such warmth, and only after a single interaction? It was incredibly hard  _ not _ to feel jealousy at that. He watched as she bounded forward to embrace the large beast, who lifted her and growled in delight.

_ Little goddess, we meet again _ . Chewie was not much for subtlety in his conversations-he was content in broadcasting his thoughts loud enough for those around to hear. It saved time that way, at least.

"Oh, I have to introduce you to someone." She pulled him over to where Maz was sitting, staring up at them with wide eyes. "Maz, this is Chewbacca. He is known as Cerberus here. Chewie, this is my adoptive mother, Maz Kanata. She is Demeter, goddess of the harvest."

Maz blinked at him a few times before shaking her head. "I know who he is. It's good to finally meet my boyfriend." She finished with a smile.

Kylo whipped his head towards them and he and Rey both exclaimed simultaneously, "YOUR WHAT?" Chewie groaned a laugh.

_ In the war we never officially met but were great allies to one another. It was a running joke between Han and Leia that if Lady Maz and I ever met, that we would be quite the pair.  _ He beamed toothily at her.  _ An honor to finally meet you, Maz Kanata. A finer goddess I have never seen. _

Kylo sat in silent horror as Chewie sat beside Maz and began rumbling to her, the latter laughing and chatting with him. Rey sank into the chair beside him and they both stared, captivated. "What is happening?" She asked faintly with a shocked smile plastered on her face.

"Hell if I know." He hissed through clenched teeth hidden by an awkward smile. The two sat and watched as their companions carried on. 

"Is it alright if we start?" Rey asked after a moment, gesturing to the food. 

"Yes-Yes! Absolutely, take whatever you like." He began adding a few dishes to his own plate, casually sliding some of his favorites towards her in the hopes that she would try them.

One was something he hoped that she enjoyed-a worker in the kitchen had been experimenting and had presented Kylo with a delicacy that was  _ divine _ . Unleavened flat bread that contained chopped nuts with the whole thing being drenched in honey and baked. It didn't seem particularly like a breakfast food, but it was such a guilty pleasure and he loved eating it.

With a quizzical face, Rey put some on her plate and gingerly picked it up with her fingers, the honey glistening and oozing from the bread. She popped it in her mouth, Kylo side eyeing and watching anxiously.

"Mmmmmm." She moaned. Picking up more pieces, she dropped them on her plate to continue picking off. Kylo couldn't help himself; he shifted so that he wasn't straining his eyes to where his head was angled for a better view.

It was a mistake-now he had the perfect vantage point from which to _see_ just how _much_ Rey was savoring the treat. To watch as she stuck honey slick fingers in that dainty little mouth and _suck..._ FUCK, he was _SO_ _SCREWED_.

Kylo fiercely thought that he would love nothing more than to have the cook bake enough of the dish and use it to entice Rey to his chambers. He would lay her back on the bed and paint her body with the slick honey and while she ate the treat he would be having a feast of his own.  _ Licking _ and  _ kissing _ and  _ tasting  _ until he had cleaned her of the sticky residue. Then he would take the next and repeat...and repeat...and repeat.

_ Better close your mouth, cub. You wouldn't want Rey's mother to see you slobbering over her pup like this.  _ Chewie's amusement dripped with every word. Kylo jerked a little in his seat, gripping his knife and savagely carving a chunk of bread to rip apart with his teeth. He would NOT run his honorary uncle through with the blade; he would NOT.

_ And you think I want to see YOU "slobbering" over Kanata? Mind your own damn business, Chewbacca.  _ He sent back, lifting his head and raising an eyebrow pointedly. He took the moment to shift and will his lower body to soften. The last thing he needed was to have Kanata find out he was hard for her daughter at the dining table.

Chewie began barking in laughter, interrupting something Maz was saying.  _ Apologies, Lady Kanata. His majesty is being particularly amusing this morning.  _

"Oh? Do tell." Maz blinked at Kylo expectantly.

_ You're fired.  _ He directed with a ferocious wildness towards Chewie. 

_ You don't have that power, and it would be more trouble than it is worth. Better think of something, cub; they're waiting.  _ Chewie thought, baring teeth and cocking his head.

"Uh…" He cleared his throat. "I was just telling Chewbacca to slow down on that particular dish, as Lady Phasma would blast him back to his den if he ate it all. She has a particular fondness for that flavor of cheese."

Rey grinned. "She would really do that over cheese?"

"Who threatened to stab Lando for snitching the last meat pie?" Maz teased.

"Hey!" Rey pointed a fork at her mother. "He knew I wanted it and he wasn't even that hungry! He just took it to mess with me. Dinny  _ deserved _ the little prick I gave him."

_ Dinny _ ? Chewie asked. Personally, Kylo was trying not to go bleary eyed over thinking about how he'd like to  _ prick  _ Rey. Sigh. There was something seriously wrong with him, wasn't there?

"A childhood nickname." Rey explained, before adding hastily, "And one you can't repeat! He'd be  _ so _ embarrassed."

_ Please, Lady Kanata. I must hear more about this.  _ Chewie cajoled, drawing Maz's attention away from Kylo and Rey for them to gossip over Lando.

Rey and Kylo went back to eating, content in the other's company. After a rather unladylike snort from Kanata over a comment Chewie privately sent her, Kylo was desperate to find a distraction from the nauseating display before him: two immortals years older than he acting like newly found lovers...oh gods. Lovers? Perish the thought!

"How is everything?" Kylo asked Rey, anxious to dispel the mental image of Kanata and Chewie….yeah. Nope.

"Rhervey gufd!" She replied, both blushing as she spoke with her cheeks stuffed.  _ Damn, she was so adorable. _ She swallowed and tried again. "Really good!" She complimented with an awkward chuckle. "I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me."

Personally Kylo thought there was nothing she could do that would ruin the image of her in his mind, but he waved off her apology regardless. "You should ask Hux about my table manners sometime."

"I don't believe I have met him yet. Who is Hux?" 

"That would be me." Hux and Phasma entered the room, bowing before Kylo and nodding respectfully at the other guests before taking their seats.

Once everyone was seated, the arrangement was thus: Kylo, Rey, and Phasma sat on one side with Hux, Maz, and Chewie on the other. The latecomers dug in, manners immaculate to the point where Rey tucked her napkin in her lap with an embarrassed flush and slowed her chewing.

Under the table, Kylo reached for her hand and interlocked their fingers. She peered at him from under her lashes before she grimaced halfheartedly.

He bridged their minds and tickled her senses teasingly in an attempt to lighten her mood.  _ Don't be self-conscious. No one will say anything.  _ Sensing her skeptical misery, he nudged her mentally and asked her to watch.

Making eye contact with Hux, he used the incorrect spoon for his current dish. Both watched as Hux's face mottled and his lips pinched as if he had swallowed a lemon whole. The revulsion on his face was too much to bear, and Rey burst into helpless giggles.

"Everything alright, Rey?" Maz narrowed her eyes at Kylo, who quickly released her daughter's hand and straightened in his seat.

"Yes. Everything's fine." She placed a hand on his thigh and stroked twice with her thumb before withdrawing.  _ Thank you, Ben. _

Gods, she was remarkable. When she spoke in his mind earlier, the force of her thought reverberated throughout his mind as if she had shouted at him. But after feeling how he connected them and spoke with her then and now, she had adjusted her technique and her thanks swam in his mind, leaving behind a feeling of peace and tranquility.

_ You're welcome, Rey.  _ He returned.  _ But really, I should be thanking you. _

_ Oh? What for?  _

He took her hand again, unable to help himself.  _ This is the nicest breakfast I've had in a while. _ He confessed.

_ What are breakfasts normally like here? _ She asked.

_ Well, most of the time it's just me, Hux, and Phas. And by now Hux would be trying to pester me about something. So, it's great that you're here-maybe it will keep him in check. _

_ Ben! I'm sure he's not  _ that _ bad.  _ Rey's enjoyment of their conversation was bleeding through to him. She was  _ happy _ , and Kylo swore to himself that she would stay that way for as long as possible.

_ No? Any moment now he is going to try and speak to me. My Hux Sense is tingling-he wants something. _ He picked up a goblet with his left hand and drank casually.

_ 'Hux Sense'? You're just making that up.  _ She nibbled on a slice of bread, flexing the hand entangled with his.

_ Mmhmm. Care to make a wager on it?  _ His thumb swept back and forth across her skin, cherishing the opportunity to.

_ What kind of wager? _ She asked nonchalantly, but she couldn't fool him. The idea excited her, and he was going to enjoy this.

_ Hmm. The loser owes the winner a kiss? _ He teased. The tips of her ears grew pink.

_ Ben _ . She warned.

_ Alright, alright. If I win, we train later. If you win, you will have the entire day to yourself. _

_ Not much of a wager. _ Interesting; she was disappointed.

_ Well, then. What would  _ you _ like to bet? _ He wanted to learn more about her-this would give him more insight regarding her.

_ If I win...you convince Phasma to teach me magic. If you win, I will train whenever you ask.  _ His hand tightened on hers in surprise.

_ You want to learn magic? _

_ ….Is that okay?  _ She seemed tentative, like she believed he would refuse. He sent approval down their bond in response.

_ I agree to your terms. Now...watch. For the past few minutes he has been shifting and opening and closing his mouth. Any moment now…. _

"Lord Hades, there is something I need to discuss with you later." Hux said formally, dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

_ Damn.  _ Rey groaned. Kylo projected laughter before sighing aloud.

"If you must." He directed towards Hux.

_ I do believe I won, sweetheart. Training later this afternoon? _

_ Yeah. Sounds good. _ She was glum. Oh, Rey.

_ I figured that would give you time with Maz and allow me a chance to speak with Phasma about you two practicing magic together. _

Her attention focused completely on him.  _ But I lost.  _

_ Oh, Rey; don't you  _ know _ by now? I just want you to be happy here. And Phasma is an excellent teacher-perhaps learning from both of us will help with your powers. _

A tender ache reverberated through their bond as she processed what he had said.  _ Thank you.  _ Her gratitude and joy pulsed and filled his soul with a glow he had never felt before knowing her.

_ Anytime. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mama Maz and Rey had me tear up as I wrote their scene. I'm not crying, you are!😭
> 
> Hahahahaha Chewie and Maz over there flirting and Kylo and Rey are like WTF IS HAPPENING. Was funny to write lol.
> 
> For the breakfast food-I took a bit of liberty with the Baklava. According to Google it wasn't really a thing until like...800 BC maybe? So I just had this random dead chef more or less invent it and no, Kylo is not gonna share. Humans will figure Baklava out soon enough. (I really love Baklava. Funny story-told this old coworker about it and he started pronouncing it BAK-LAVAAAAA to annoy me. He succeeded.)
> 
> Moving on:
> 
> I wrote a new story! I wrote a poem about the Wild Hunt and sort of built a story around it as I went. Reylo one shot that was meant to be dark and turned out to be...sensual, I guess? I dunno. If you get bored of waiting for the next chapter, definitely check it out! (And my Princess Bride AU, cause the chapter I will be posting within the next few days for that is gonna be quite the twist lol)


	14. Let Me See You Through, 'Cause I've Seen the Darkside Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hux confesses. Rey plans. Han worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from "I'll Stand By You" By The Pretenders
> 
> So, if you have been with me from the beginning, you would have noticed a few things that have been changed. I updated my tags (SO MANY OMG) and have changed the title! For what I have planned, this shall be the first in a Trilogy, and the title needed changing. More on that later.
> 
> But enough of that. Enjoy the chapter!

Hux couldn't help the feelings of jealousy that sparked whenever he stared across the table at Kylo and the Lady Kore. Even a blind man could see that the two were engaging in some sort of  _ shenanigans _ under the table; and in front of the girl's mother, no less!

He wasn't jealous of the fraternization; dear Zeus, the  _ horror _ ! No, he envied the  _ ease _ with which the two sat next to one another; as if they had known each other for all their lives and not only a few days. He wasn't so unfeeling that he didn't wish to one day find the same...although he was positive he wouldn't go about courting the girl the way Ren has his. 

Setting all that aside, Hux needed to prepare for his audience with Kylo. A plan was required if he was going to attempt to intercede on a mortal's behalf….and for a goddess, no less. Kylo would be in stitches if he discovered  _ that _ piece of information. 

Still...he had time. Mikael's soul would have only just arrived in the Underworld. And Kylo was currently in an  _ agreeable _ mood, thanks to the goddess sitting beside him. Perhaps Hux could word his request in such a way that it would appeal to Ren and his ego.  _ Maybe something with those pearls _ -Hux glanced at Rey and amended his thought- _ Maybe something for the  _ girl…

_ "Offer these to Lord Hades. Tell him your story and ask him for mercy. Something tells me you may be lucky in this endeavor."  _ Did Lady Paige know; know that whatever Kylo may have said to placate Olympus was merely a smokescreen for his true intentions regarding the girl? Had the goddess of love sensed something about Kylo? Hmm…

Noticing that everyone had more or less finished their meals, Hux pushed away from the table and stood. "Lord Hades, I'm afraid I must speak with you now. Phasma, you as well." Hands clasped behind his back, Hux waited for them to respond.

Phasma sighed before rising. "I do hope this is important." She yawned. "I was planning on returning to bed soon." Kylo studied Hux for a moment before looking towards Rey, Chewie, and Maz.

"Forgive me, I'm afraid that duty calls." Kylo offered smoothly to Maz. To Chewie, he asked, "Would you escort our guests back to Lady Demeter's chamber?" Chewie nodded with a grin. 

Kylo turned to Lady Kore, and Hux watched as the two seemed to have a moment before looking away, both pinkening.  _ For pity's sake, Ren; you are a GOD!  _ _ Act _ _ like it, and not as some horny youngling!  _ Gods, what Hux wouldn't give to be able to  _ really _ speak his mind some days.

"After you, Phas." Ah, Kylo had risen and he and Phasma were already heading out. Hux gave a curt bow to the remaining immortals before he trailed behind the others out the door.

***************************************************

_ Enjoy spending time with your mother. _ Kylo sent to Rey. He had to be quick; Hux and Phasma were waiting for him.

_ I hope everything is alright.  _ Rey answered. Kylo squeezed her hand in assurance.

_ Thank you. It's kind of you to worry, but please don't. Have fun, Rey; I will see you later. _

_ I look forward to it. _ The candor in her words had both of them glancing away with a blush. Kylo released Rey's hand, stood, and strode towards the door. Phasma was behind him until he invited her to leave first. He couldn't bring himself to look back, knowing that if he did he would be unable to leave.

Ducking out into the hall, Kylo leaned against the wall of the corridor while Phasma scrubbed at her face. "Everything all right?" 

She looked up. "Just tired. I hope Hux doesn't take too long; I  _ really _ want to go back to bed."

"Well, before you do, there is a favor I had wanted to ask of you-" Kylo was interrupted by Hux exiting and closing the door.

"Perhaps somewhere more private would be best." Hux advised, eyeing the corridor with unease. He walked away, leading Kylo and Phasma down the hall before stopping and entering one of several meeting rooms Kylo had around the palace.

"Why are we here, Armitage?" Phasma asked wearily, sinking and slouching into the chair nearest the door.

Hux paced around the table until he was gripping the back of the chair opposite Phasma. "I collected a soul this morning." He started.

Kylo snorted. "Is that all?"

Hux stiffened. "Forgive me, Lord Ren. But this soul is one I had thought to warn you of." 

Phasma sat up, alert upon hearing the nervousness in Hux's voice. "What happened?"

Hux cleared his throat. "The dying mortal had a...visitor."

Kylo tensed. "What visitor?"

"...Aphrodite."

Phasma relaxed back against the chair. "Oh, is that all? Paige Tico is relatively harmless."

"One would think." Hux muttered.

Kylo eyed him sharply. "Explain." He demanded.

"She worried that the mortal wouldn't be able to pass into Elysium to be with his family and she, that is to say-she uh," Hux groaned before muttering unintelligible beneath his breath.

Phasma furrowed her brow. "Come again?" 

Hux lifted a hand to cover his eyes. "Lady Paige gave the mortal an offering to use as a bribe." He sighed, using fingers to massage his forehead.

Kylo, who had taken a seat next to Phasma, stilled at what he heard. "She. Did. What." He gritted out. A mortal trying to use cheap tricks from a goddess to falsely earn their way into paradise? If word got out, the order that had been established in the Underworld would disintegrate and all would descend into chaos.

"An error in judgement, Kylo. She was particularly fond of the mortal."

Kylo stood, face thunderous. "And that gives Aphrodite the right to violate our laws? If the afterlife was judged based on monetary value offered by these souls, most would wander Asphodel forever! That system is  _ corrupt _ , and one I shall take no part in!"

"The man lost everything he loved. From what I understand, that tends to break some people. Should he be condemned to spend his eternity away from the ones he loved, simply because the mortal was unable to cope with their loss?" Hux questioned.

Kylo narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying?" 

"Take the gift. Take it because what he holds does not belong in mortal hands, and compromise."

Phasma tapped her fingers lightly on the table. "What compromise?" She asked.

"Allow him the chance to try again. Give him the opportunity to be reborn and live a new life. Once he dies again, if he has earned his way into Elysium, great."

"And if not?" Kylo inquired.

Hux swallowed. "Then he accepts whatever judgement is given."

Kylo pondered for a moment, looking away from his two companions. "What did she give him?" He asked.

"Three pearls." Hux answered.

"I see." Kylo sat, fingers steepled in his lap as he tilted his head back. "I'm not against the idea of a second chance. Many souls in the fields would benefit from such. I can think of a few last week alone that never had the chance to live long before illness overcame their village. It has been something that I have considered for a while now, for reasons such as that."

"But would it be available for every soul, pure or evil? And if they do live a second life and find themselves bound for Tartarus, would their first judgment uphold, or the new one?" Phasma wondered, leaning against her fist with her chin propped on it.

"Excellent points. And what if a soul in Elysium decided they wanted to live again and earned Elysium twice over? Should they not receive something more for their efforts?" Kylo gestured for Hux to sit down. "If we are going to do this, we should do it properly."

"Really?" Hux's voice cracked.

Kylo lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing!" Hux blurted hastily. "I had just expected to have to manipulate you into agreeing... _ oh shit _ ."

Phasma snorted before laughing. "At least he's honest about it." She explained gleefully to Kylo.

Kylo let out an explosive sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hux?"

"...Yes?" Hux replied hesitantly.

"Sit down." Hux dragged the chair away from the table and practically fell into it. "Tell me your thoughts on this. What would you suggest?" Kylo questioned.

Hux gaped at him. "My thoughts? Really?"

"Considering that my decision will directly impact your duties;  _ yes _ , really." Hux sat there, studying Kylo. To be honest, Kylo was feeling a bit uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze on him. "What?" He finally snapped.

"I do hope you hold onto that girl. She is doing  _ wonders _ for your temper." Hux finally said, shifting so that he was sitting ramrod straight against the chair. Kylo flushed, ignoring Phasma's scrutinizing eyes.

"I have no idea what you mean. Rey is merely a guest while she receives training." 

Hux rolled his eyes. "I trust that you manage to sound more convincing when you spew that malarkey to Lady Kore and her mother. While the two of you…"train"...together, maybe consider a paradigm shift in her social status here? From guest to... _ queen _ , perhaps?"

"I believe we already had this discussion, Armitage." Kylo drawled. "As I recall, I told you to cease your plotting. Whatever happens between Rey and I is none of your concern, and I expect it to remain that way."

"I agree with Hux." Phasma interjected. " _ Don't _ look at me like that." She said to Kylo, who was shooting her an expression of betrayal. "You've made it quite plain that you desire her, and she  _ would _ make a wonderful queen. It wouldn't hurt to use this time to see if she is amenable to the prospect."

Kylo ran a hand through his hair. "Shekindaalreadyknows." He muttered.

"What was that?" Phasma prodded.

"We already had somewhat of a discussion about how I see her, and how I want to see her."

" _ Kylo _ !" At Phasma's scandalized expression,the king realized how his meaning could be misconstrued. 

"Not like that! I meant that I confessed I wanted her to be my queen."

Phasma facepalmed. "Please tell me you didn't." She bemoaned.

Hux looked impressed. "You spill your angsty little guts and she is  _ still _ interested? For pity's sake, Kylo- _ marry _ the girl."

"Enough, enough! We aren't here for this. Any discussion regarding my marital status can wait." Kylo ordered. "But before we get back to the subject at hand, Phas?"

"Mmm?"

"Rey has expressed an interest in learning magic, and I believe it would be beneficial." 

Phasma lifted up and turned her head to face him. "Seriously? Are you sure?" Kylo nodded.

"How selfless of you. I'm certain that it has  _ nothing _ to do with how extensive magic learning can be and how  _ demanding _ it can be on one's time." Hux observed smoothly.

"That never crossed my mind, to be honest." Seeing Hux eye him doubtfully, Kylo's ears burned. "It will make her happy."

The redhead grinned. "Do us all a favor and avoid Tartarus while she is here. If your prisoners see how mushy you have become, we'll be up to our ears in riots."

Kylo flipped him off and turned to Phasma. "Phas?" 

"I would be honored. But not today; yesterday took a lot out of me." Kylo cupped the side of her face in his palm, nudging her lightly with his power. "Kylo, you don't have to. I just need to rest." She protested.

"I can feel your exhaustion, Phas. Allow me to help." Kylo murmured. She studied him before nodding. He was not quite as gifted as Phasma (or Rey) at healing, but he could at least take the edge off of Phasma's pain. Lending Phas some of his strength was nothing compared to all she did for him and the kingdom.

Phasma sighed in relief. "Thank you." Kylo noticed that her face had been slightly pinched before, but after she accepted his aid, had smoothed out a little.

"Will you be alright to continue? If you need to retire…" Kylo raised an eyebrow.

"I'll survive. Please, let us proceed." She gestured towards Hux.

Kylo agreed. "Very well, let's begin."

***************************************************

_ You must be tired after your journey, Lady Kanata. Please allow me the honor of escorting you to your rooms. _

Rey snorted into her glass of milk. Chewie was quite flirtatious, which was surprising given his ferocious demeanor. And her adoptive mother was eating it up, which was both embarrassing and hilarious.

"I am not a bit tired, but I would appreciate such a... _ distinguished _ escort." 

_ Good heavens, mother.  _ Rey thought privately.  _ I might as well not even be here. _ Aloud she said pointedly, "Shall we go then?"

Maz twitched and gave Rey a somewhat sheepish glance. "Of course, dear. Lord Chewbacca, please lead the way."

All three rose from the table and made their way out the door, Rey watching as servants silently entered and began cleaning up. "Thank you." She called, seeing them jerk and look up with wide eyes. "The meal was delicious, and we appreciate your help."

One of the servants bowed. "Thank you, gracious lady. I will relay your compliments to the kitchen staff." Others followed and offered their own appreciation, bowing and curtseying to the goddess. Rey smiled and waved, saying her farewells before turning to catch up to Chewie and Maz.

At least she would have, if she had not bumped into a broad red demon who steadied her before she fell. "Careful, lovely flower. You would not wish to fall on the floor, would you?" He said, the corners of his mouth lifting upwards slightly.

"Maul!" Rey exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I did not see you." It wasn't entirely her fault; he was wearing a black hood and seemed to blend in to the walls around them.

Maul raised an eyebrow. "So I discovered."

Rey peered around him, looking for Mel. "Is your sister-?"

"Melantha has already departed to go spend her time with Obi-Wan." He explained stoically. "She requested that I check in on you and ensure your well-being in her absence."

Rey laughed. "Well, at least you can tell her you saved me from taking a fall to the floor."

Maul studied her. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."

"I'm sorry?"

"I do have some time on my hands this morning, and Mel and I both agree that you could do with some combat training. Especially if you are to engage in sparring with Lord Hades during your stay here." He said.

"Oh!" Rey answered. "I had meant to spend some time with my mother before I go train with Kylo later." She glanced down the hallway where Maz and Chewie had long since vanished. "But something tells me that she can manage on her own." Rey added wryly.

"A servant can deliver a message if you do not wish for her to worry." Maul ducked inside the dining room to summon one out to the hall.

The servant who had first spoken to Rey bowed before her again. "How may I assist you, my lady?" He asked.

"Lady Rey will be spending some time with me today. She wishes to give Lady Demeter a message so that the goddess is not concerned over her daughter's absence."

The servant straightened. "I would be honored to inform her." He said to Maul before turning to Rey. "Was there anything else you require, my lady?"

"No, thank you." Rey said. The servant began to leave before she called him back. "Just-just make sure you knock." She warned with a smile. The servant eyed her quizzically before nodding and continuing down the hallway.

"Shall we?" Maul invited.

Rey grinned. "After you."

***************************************************

There were some nights where Han couldn't sleep. A dream would ensnare and take root, festering until he was gripped in the throes of a nightmare. And more often than not, it was always the same: failure. There were so many pivotal moments that had long since faded in time; moments that, if had gone differently, would have changed  _ everything _ .

Watching Lando pace sparked remembrance of one excruciating nightmare that constantly visited Han. He was no stranger to the worry over one's child, and in his sleeping moments Han was tormented over his biggest regret: losing his son. And now, the girl whom Lando cherished as if she were his own had been taken by Han's child, and Lando was as powerless as Han to help.

What good was being the king of the gods if he was unable to use that power and influence to help the ones he loved most? One of Han's oldest friends, forced to remain away from Rey because he had failed in his duties as a father. 

The mortals say that Han was one of several children of the titans Rhea and Kronos, the latter of whom would swallow his children to prevent them rising up and conquering him. He remembered the first time he had heard that; laughing until everything ached over the foolishness and idiocy of it all. 

Han was nothing before he had become a god, having been mortal himself, long ago. One of the first of mankind, he had risen to godhood on his own merit and will. He knew no other way; he had been alone all his life...which was why the thought of a parent who was threatened enough by the  _ thought _ -a parent who actually  _ cared _ , as twisted as that care was-of their child boggled his mind.

But after Leia had handed him their son, so tiny and frail, into his arms, Han understood. It wasn't merely pride over having an heir, despite what he may have bragged to Lando and Chewie; no, it was the  _ love _ that pulsed with every beat of his heart which drove him to that twisted, bitter emotion: fear.

They were in the middle of a  _ war _ , enemies all around them and constant worry over their own lives that led to more fighting...to more death. Leia's son, their beautiful boy, grew up on the battlefield, surrounded by all the horror and darkness of the world. Really, was it any surprise that he would grow and become ruler over such? His son, damned to rule hell because Han had been too selfish to send him away for the child's safety; too paranoid that Ben would be taken away and turned to the dark by his grandfather or Vader's master.

And what was  _ worse _ ; what Han had never been able to forgive, and what Ben hadn't either, was that he had given his son no choice. For really, there wasn't one. The boy had the blood of powerful deities coursing through his veins; power that was one of the only strong enough deterrents against the titans rising again from Tartarus. It was in that moment that Han realized that in order to protect everything they all had fought and bled so hard to save, he had to sacrifice the one person he loved more than any other.

And so, Han condemned his son to rule the Underworld. Everything that was happening, all the sins that Ben had begun to commit, was merely the continuation on the path Han had forced him on long ago. For if he was honest, he knew why Ben had taken the girl. She was young, and beautiful, and filled with a light that comforted even the darkest of souls. So, yes, Han understood Ben's motivations; who wouldn't want to be with a person like Rey? 

But there was more to this than Ben kidnapping her, and Han knew that before long it was likely to reveal itself to them. A power in the girl that had the strongest god be wary and take notice of her? There was more to Rey than just a pretty face, and it pained Han to have to be the one to ask Lando about it. The timing was terrible, but he and Leia both agreed: they had no other choice.

"Lando, sit." Leia pleaded, unable as Han to bear watching their friend so agitated. They were all in Han and Leia's private sunroom, a place they reserved for meetings of a more clandestine nature. Han and Leia sat beside one another on a chaise while Lando strode from one end of the room to the other before them, anxiously waiting for BeeBee to return.

Lando shook his head, waving her off. "I can't, Leia." He stopped and threw up his hands. "I just wish she would hurry up and get here. I need to know that Rey and Maz are alright." Han stood and made his way to Lando, clasping his shoulder and squeezing.

"I'm certain they're fine."

He assured quietly.

"And how can you be?" Lando whirled, addressing them both. "As painful as it is to admit, it's been  _ centuries _ from the last time you two saw your son. He isn't the same person anymore, and who knows what he will do to Rey and Maz."

Leia's fists balled, fingers white as they clenched in her lap. "There is good in him, Lando. There always has been, and I choose to believe that no matter how far into darkness he finds himself, he can ascend to the light once more. Ben won't hurt them, and if you doubt that, then you doubt me; as both his mother and as your queen."

Lando reared back. "Leia-"

She shook her head. "No! He is our son, and while his methods may be a tad unorthodox, Han and I have faith that Ben will do the right thing."

Lando turned to Han. "Is that true?"

Han sighed, and it was moments like these that the burden of the crown made him wish he had never accepted it. "I love your optimism, and while I  _ do _ share it, Lando makes a valid point. Ben isn't the same young boy we banished to the Underworld. He's hardened; he's changed, Leia."

"Ben isn't Vader, Han." Leia said firmly. Han went and knelt before her, clasping and rubbing their hands together.

"He might not be," He agreed softly, "but he also isn't our little boy anymore. What he has done will reap consequences, and as much as I may want to, we might not be able to protect him from them."

Leia exhaled. "You feel it too? That something is coming?"

Lando took a step towards them. "What do you mean?" He asked sharply.

Leia shrugged. "I just-I have this feeling. I don't think Ben meeting Rey was an accident. Everything that has happened has made me wonder if this is all just the beginning." Movement outside the window behind Han and Lando had her pause. "But," she added with a gentle smile, "that can wait until after BeeBee tells us how our girls are."

Han rose and turned in time to see BeeBee land gracefully before them, her wings fluttering before vanishing before their eyes. "Majesties, Lando." She greeted while bobbing a quick curtsey.

Lando hurried forward. "How are they? How's Rey?" He demanded, face tight with worry.

"They're completely fine. Lord Hades is treating them well." Bee soothed, anxious to put their minds at ease. "Rey was very happy to see her mother, and didn't appear to be mistreated by anyone or upset."

"It's comforting to hear she is well." Leia said, standing to walk over to Han and link their arms together. "...How was Rey around Lord Hades?"

Han watched Bee's expression carefully. A tightness in his chest eased when the girl smiled and her cheeks grew rosy. "Lord Hades tried to hide it, but I could tell he was quite drawn to Rey. He is kind to her," she looked at Lando, "I doubt very much that he would do anything to hurt her."

Lando snorted in disbelief. "Based off of two limited interactions, you mean to tell me that you are confident enough to say that Rey is safe with him?"

Bee swallowed and nodded. "I do."

"Then for now, we won't intervene." Han decided, shaking his head at Lando's indignant cry of outrage. 

"Maz and Chewie are there, and they can handle themselves in a fight." Leia interjected, placing a hand on Lando's arm to assure him.

Han blinked and began chuckling. "Seems like after all these years, those two are finally gonna meet." He jested, hoping it would lighten the atmosphere and Lando's foul mood.

Lando continued glaring until he rolled his eyes, visibly relaxing before the three. "Well when you put it that way, I almost feel sorry for Ben now. Poor idiot is going to be stuck in close proximity to  _ that _ ? I bet he won't last a week."

Han smirked. "Well, he is my son. I can assure you, our bloodline has some pretty impressive stamina. I bet a month."

Leia turned to him; flustered and blurting, scandalized, "Han!" Bee was blushing and awkwardly shifting while Lando and Han began laughing uproariously.

But behind the laughter and smiles, Han still couldn't help how his thoughts returned to his son. While it was true that the other immortals could not enter the Underworld without permission from Ben, Han knew that there was always a way in. Perhaps he should consider sneaking into Ben's kingdom and ensure that all truly was well. (And it would be nice to see his son again).

Han decided. One day soon, with Leia otherwise occupied and Dameron sworn to secrecy to prevent him from snitching to Leia, he would break into the Underworld. And if BeeBee and Leia were wrong; and Ben had become lost to the dark, Han would do what was necessary to save his son. Whatever it takes...no matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story that only my Beta knows-I didn't have a title for this originally, so I just put it as "To Be Chosen" so that I could make it later. But then it kinda caught on and I kept it but it needed to be updated.
> 
> A lot of the characters and pairings I had will still most likely happen, but not for a while. This story is turning out to be quite the beast and it has only begun. Like...14 freaking chapters and over 60k words. WTH, am I right? And in the timeline it has only been a few days. 
> 
> Sorry the update took so long-I kept procrastinating it but here it is, and I hope it doesn't take me as long for the next one!
> 
> Until next time!😘


	15. Update

Hello, fellow Reylos.

For those of you who have been following the story, THANK YOU. I appreciate the kudos, comments, hits, bookmarks, and subscribes! You guys are the best, honestly.

But....I am afraid that I must disappoint you. "To Choose" will be going on hiatus for a while longer. I have most of the next chapter written but need to finish it, and there's also a far more important reason...my dear Beta for this fic.

She is currently going through some things so I will hold off on writing any more for this work so that she can focus more on her and not this. And while I could get another Beta to look at "To Choose", I'm not going to. She's the Beta for this and I honestly cannot see any other person helping me edit TC.

And as for me, I am currently job hunting. I need to take a step back from all of the things I have going on on my end and get a new job cause...ya girl's got bills and needs some green. So I may write some for other fics, but the updating will be spaced further out from when I first started. (Which was during quarantine when I was stuck at home, and had the time to write 5000 word chapters in a few days.)

So I might keep adding to my fic document, but it may be a little while before a new chapter is posted. In the meantime, I guess I will be focusing on "As You Wish", which is edited by another Beta.

So if you have read this fic and somehow actually like my rambling that poses as writing, please don't give up on me, or TC! We shall return! And in the meantime, you can always check out my other fics:

"As You Wish"

Princess Bride Reylo where REY is Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts and BEN/KYLO is Buttercup. I have received many compliments on the prologue. This is a Princess Bride genderswap story...with a few twists of my own. Rated M.

"He'll Hunt Ye 'Til Ye Fall"

Reylo Wild Hunt fic. Poetry spread throughout the story is written mostly by me with a line or two from a wonderful person across the pond. Rey is in the woods and comes across the Wild Hunt, led by the King who is searching for a bride. He sees her....and the hunt is on. Three guesses who and the first two don't count. Rated M.

"My Personal Theories"

For any Lucifer fans, I made this a day or so ago to contain my personal fan theories about season 5 part 2 and season 6. Some may be wishful thinking but...I really wanna see at least a few happen. Rated G.

That's all for now. I hope to update as soon as I can. In the meantime, please stay safe!

All the Love,

TrueLoveBeliever 

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I have written in years. I normally read instead of writing, but I thought I would give it a try. I have a Beta now! AstraBlack ❤ (and she is amazing!!!)
> 
> Also, you should totally go check out PunkForTheMoment's page! She is an awesome writer and I am a huge fan of her work. This fic is for her, and I hope she likes it half as much as I like HBTBAG! (Which if you have not read, she has finished! The FEELS!!!!! Seriously though-check it out. So good.)


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